Questions tagged [at.algebraic-topology]
Homotopy theory, homological algebra, algebraic treatments of manifolds.
1,148
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Applications of super-mathematics to non-super mathematics
Supergeometry and more broadly supermathematics has been around for few decades. Since its introduction by physicists, there has been an some mathematical interest in them.
Although interesting in its ...
34
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1
answer
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What actually is the idea behind the condensed mathematics?
Condensed mathematics is the (potential) unification of various mathematical subfields, including topology, geometry, and number theory. It asserts that analogs in the individual fields are instead ...
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Intuition behind Alexander duality
I was wondering if anyone could offer some intuition for why Alexander duality holds. Of course, the proof is easy enough to check, and it is also easy to work out many examples by hand. However, I ...
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Different way to view action of fundamental group on higher homotopy groups
There are a couple of ways to define an action of $\pi_1(X)$ on $\pi_n(X)$. When $n = 1$, there is the natural action via conjugation of loops. However, the picture seems to blur a bit when looking at ...
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Is there a (discrete) monoid M injecting into its group completion G for which BM is not homotopy equivalent to BG?
For a (discrete) monoid $M$, the classifying space $BM$ is the
geometric realization of the nerve of the one object category whose
hom-set is $M$. (This definition gives the usual classfiying space
...
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For which maps $S^1\to S^1$ is the winding number defined?
There are two classes of maps $S^1\to S^1$ for which I know how to define the winding number:
• Continuous maps:
Using the unique path lifting property of the universal covering map $\mathbb R\to S^...
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32
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answer
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About a claim by Gromov on proper holomorphic maps
At p. 223 of his paper [G03], Mikhail Gromov makes the following claim:
Let $X$, $Y$ be two complex manifolds (not necessarily compact or Kähler) of the same dimension and having the same even Betti ...
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Computational software in Algebraic Topology?
I was wondering if there is any good software out there that allows you to do specific computations in algebraic topology. For example:
Create a simplicial complex/set and ask questions about its ...
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4
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Compact open topology on $\mathrm{Homeo}(X)$
Let $X$ and $Y$ be topological spaces. Define the compact open topology on the set $\mathrm{M}(X,Y)$ of continuous maps from $X$ to $Y$ via the subbase $[K,O]$ of all maps $f:X\rightarrow Y$ s.t. $f(K)...
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Is there software to compute the cohomology of an affine variety?
I have some affine varieties whose cohomology (topological, with $\mathbb{C}$ coefficients) I would like to know. They are very nice, they are all of the form $\mathbb{A}^n \setminus \{ f=0 \}$ for ...
- 151k
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Noncommutative rational homotopy type
Ok, this question is much less ambitious than it might sound, but still:
Two commutative differential graded algebras (cdga's) are quasi-isomorphic if they can be connected by a chain of cdga quasi-...
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Is Lie group cohomology determined by restriction to finite subgroups?
Consider the restriction of the group cohomology $H^*(BG,\mathbb{Z})$, where $G$ is a compact Lie group and $BG$ is its classifying space, to finite subgroups $F \le G$. If we consider the product of ...
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Are the higher homotopy groups of the Hawaiian earring trivial?
The fundamental group of the Hawaiian earring is very complicated, but since it's "1-dimensional" one might guess that the higher homotopy groups vanish. Do they? Since the Hawaiian earring does not ...
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Algebras over the little disks operad
Hello,
The so-called "recognition principle" of Boardman-Vogt and May leaves me unsatisfied.
My problem is the following:
The "recognition principle" says that every "group-like" algebra over the ...
- 2,501
31
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4
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Fibrations and Cofibrations of spectra are "the same"
My question refers to a folklore statement that I have now seen a couple of times, but never really precise. One avatar is:
"For spectra every cofibration is equivalent to a fibration" (e.g. in the ...
- 1,538
31
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2
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Persistence barcodes and spectral sequences
Persistent homology is a well-developed tool which allows topological analysis of large data sets. From a topological perspective, the input is a filtered complex, and the output is a sequence of ...
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Does there exist any non-contractible manifold with fixed point property?
Does there exist any non-trivial space (i.e not deformation retract onto a point) in $\mathbb R^n$ such that any continuous map from the space onto itself has a fixed point. I highly suspect that the ...
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When is a compact topological 4-manifold a CW complex?
Freedman's $E_8$-manifold is nontriangulable, as proved on page (xvi) of the Akbulut-McCarthy 1990 Princeton Mathematical Notes "Casson's invariant for oriented homology 3-spheres".
Kirby showed that ...
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Is the space of diffeomorphisms homotopy equivalent to a CW-complex?
Clarification: My question concerns the homotopy type of the space of $C^k$ diffeomorphisms with the compact-open $C^k$ topology, where $0< k \leq\infty$. I have stated my question below with $k=1$ ...
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Is the counit of geometric realization a Serre fibration?
Recall that a Serre fibration between topological spaces is a map which has the homotopy lifting property (HLP) for all CW complexes (equivalently for all disks $D^k$). The Serre fibrations are the ...
- 27.2k
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What are some interesting problems in the intersection of Algebraic Number Theory and Algebraic Topology?
I'm a beginning graduate student and while my background is primarily in algebraic number theory, I've found myself a bit smitten with the subject of algebraic topology recently after only having read ...
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Why do Clifford algebras determine $KO$ (and $K$-)-theory?
In the paper "Clifford modules" by Atiyah-Bott-Shapiro, they construct a family of Clifford algebras $C_k$ over the real numbers, so that $C_k$ is the algebra associated to a negative definite form on ...
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Open problems in algebraic topology and homotopy theory
Some time ago (I see it was initially written before 1999?) Mark Hovey assembled a list of open problems in algebraic topology. The list can be found here. Some of the problems I know about have been ...
29
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3
answers
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The homotopy category is not complete nor cocomplete
I understand that the homotopy category of (pointed) topological spaces and continuous maps is not complete. Nor is it cocomplete. In particular it neither has all pullbacks nor all pushouts.
What ...
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4
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Model structure on Simplicial Sets without using topological spaces
The category of simplicial sets has a standard model structure, where the weak equivalences are those maps whose geometric realization is a weak homotopy equivalence, the cofibrations are ...
- 1,302
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Todd class as an Euler class
Let $X$ be a relatively nice scheme or topological space.
In various physics papers I've come accross, the Todd class $\text{Td}(T_X)$ is viewed as the Euler class of the normal bundle to $X\to LX$. ...
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Why do polytopes pop up in Lagrange inversion?
I'd be interested in hearing people's viewpoints on this. Looking for an intuitive perspective. See Wikipedia for descriptions of polytopes and the Lagrange inversion theorem/formula (LIF) for ...
27
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answers
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Is there a Morse theory proof of the Bruhat decomposition?
Let $G$ be a complex connected Lie group, $B$ a Borel subgroup and $W$ the Weyl group. The Bruhat decomposition allows us to write $G$ as a union $\bigcup_{w \in W} BwB$ of cells given by double ...
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Are rational varieties simply connected?
Is it true that every smooth rational variety X is simply connected? How is the proof?
Would it be still true if X has mild (for example orbifold) singularities?
27
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3
answers
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Fundamental group of a topological pullback
This should be such an elementary problem in algebraic topology that I'm almost too embarrassed to ask, but here goes.
Let $f: X\to Z$ be a surjective fibration, and let $g: Y\to Z$ be any map. ...
- 35k
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Computational complexity of topological K-theory
I am a novice with K-theory trying to understand what is and what is not possible.
Given a finite simplicial complex $X$, there of course elementary ways to quickly compute the cohomology of $X$ with ...
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2
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Structure of Hopf algebras - trouble understanding an old paper
UPDATE: I am grateful to Peter May for the accepted answer, which makes most of the details below irrelevant. However, I will leave them in place for the record.
I am trying to understand the proof ...
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Teaching the fundamental group via everyday examples
This question is a "prequel" to a similar question about homology. Both questions were inspired by seeing a talk, by Tadashi Tokieda, about the interesting physics that appears in toys.
What ...
26
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1
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Two points of view about Borel-moore homology
They are several ways to define the Borel-Moore homology on a locally compact space $X$.
The first one is by analogy with the singular homology but instead of using finite chains, we use locally ...
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What's the current state of the classification of not-fully-extended TQFTs?
Recall that a $(k,k+1,\dots,k+n)$-TQFT is (supposed to be) a functor from the $n$-category whose $j$-morphisms are (isomorphism classes of) compact $(k+j)$-dimensional manifolds with boundary to some ...
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Has anyone seen a nice map of multiplicative cohomology theories?
I have seen lots of descriptions of this map in the literature but never seen it nicely drawn anywhere.
I could try to do it myself but I really lack expertise, hence am afraid to miss something or ...
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Why are we interested in the Fundamental Groupoid of a Space?
The classical version of the van Kampen theorem is concerned about the fundamental group of a based space. In fact, it says that the functor $\pi_1$ preserves certain types of pushouts in $Top_*$.
...
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Are there "principal" bundles $S^1 \to S^3 \to S^2$ other then Hopf's? (They would be necessarily not locally trivial)
It is well known that the only principal locally trivial fiber bundle $S^1 \to S^3 \to S^2$ is Hopf map $h$ (see, for example, [1]).
What if we drop the local triviality but mantain a "principality" ...
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Cohomology of Lie groups and Lie algebras
The length of this question has got a little bit out of hand. I apologize.
Basically, this is a question about the relationship between the cohomology of Lie groups and Lie algebras, and maybe ...
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4
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Conjuring phantoms by hand?
A map $f:X\to Y$ of CW-complexes is called a phantom if $f$ restricted to the $n$-skeleton of $X$ is contractible for all $n$. The first non-trivial example of such a map, with $X=\Sigma\mathbb{P}^\...
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Is the $\infty$-topos $Sh(X)$ hypercomplete whenever $X$ is a CW complex?
It can be shown (see Is every paracompact, Hausdorff, locally contractible space homotopy equivalent to a CW complex?) that if $X$ is a locally contractible paracompact Hausdorff space such that the $\...
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Reverse mathematics of (co)homology?
Background
Exercise 2.1.16b in Hartshorne (homework!) asks you to prove that if $0 \rightarrow F \rightarrow G \rightarrow H \rightarrow 0$ is an exact sequence of sheaves, and F is flasque, then $0 \...
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The relationship between group cohomology and topological cohomology theories
I was recently trying to learn a little bit about group cohomology, but one point has been confusing me. According to wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_cohomology and some other sources ...
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Example of fiber bundle that is not a fibration
It is well-known that a fiber bundle under some mild hypothesis is a fibration, but I don't know any examples of fiber bundles which aren't (Hurewicz) fibrations (they should be weird examples, I ...
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3
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Non trivial vector bundle over non-paracompact contractible space
The proof that the set of classes of vector bundles is homotopy invariant relies on the paracompactness and the Hausdorff property of the base space. Are there any known examples of:
Non trivial ...
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A possible generalization of the homotopy groups.
The homotopy groups $\pi_{n}(X)$ arise from considering equivalence classes of based maps from the $n$-sphere $S^{n}$ to the space $X$. As is well known, these maps can be composed, giving arise to a ...
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Surprising properties of closed planar curves
In https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.05422 I proved with elementary topological methods that a smooth planar curve with total turning number a non-zero integer multiple of $2\pi$ (the tangent fully turns a ...
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2
answers
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The Dold-Thom theorem for infinity categories?
Let $\mathcal{M}$ denote the category of finite sets and monomorphisms, and let $\mathcal T$ denote the category of based spaces. For a based space $X \in \mathcal T$, one has a canonical funtor $S_X ...
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Are "most" spaces aspherical?
There's a heuristic idea that "most" closed manifolds $M$ are aspherical (i.e. $\pi_{\geq 2}(M) = 0$). Does this heuristic extend usefully to all spaces -- or at least to all finite CW complexes?
To ...
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Combinatorial spin structures
I would like to know how to define spin structures combinatorially, for an oriented smooth manifold equipped with a triangulation. In the case of a 2d manifold, spin structures correspond to ...
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