All Questions
2,364 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
18
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496
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Orientation-reversing homotopy equivalence
If there is an orientation-reversing homotopy equivalence on a closed simply-connected orientable manifold is there an orientation-reversing homeomorphism?
It is not true, for instance, that if there ...
user164740
18
votes
0
answers
462
views
Is there a model category describing shape theory?
Is there a nice model structure on some category of topological spaces compatible with shape theory? In particular, weak equivalences should induce isomorphisms on sheaf cohomology.
As an example, ...
- 6,813
18
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0
answers
666
views
Are simplicial finite CW complexes and simplicial finite simplicial sets equivalent?
Edit Originally the question was whether an arbitrary diagram of finite CW complexes can be approximated by a diagram of finite simplicial sets. In view of Tyler's comment, this was clearly asking for ...
- 10.9k
18
votes
0
answers
540
views
A curious switch in infinite dimensions
Let $V$ be a finite dimensional real vector space. Let $GL(V)$ be the set of invertible linear transformations, and $\Phi(V)$ be the set of all linear transformations. We can also characterize $\Phi(V)...
- 7,583
18
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0
answers
702
views
Homotopy groups of spheres and differential forms
The only infinite homotopy groups of spheres are $\pi_n(\mathbb{S}^n)$ and $\pi_{4n-1}(\mathbb{S}^{2n})$. This is a well known result of Serre. In both cases the nontriviality of these groups can be ...
- 28k
18
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0
answers
328
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"High-concept" explanation for proof of a theorem of Ochanine?
See Akhil Mathew's notes on Ochanine's theorem for elliptic genera here and here.
Let $\phi: \Omega_{SO} \to \Lambda$ be a genus. We might ask when $\phi$ satisfies the following multiplicative ...
user82367
18
votes
0
answers
881
views
What is operator tmf?
One of the many wonderful things about K-theory, relative to other generalized cohomology theories, is that it can be defined for not-necessarily-commutative C*-algebras. The resulting construction, ...
- 118k
18
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answers
2k
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Etale Slice Theorem
I found the Luna's Slice Theorem very Technical. It will be helpful if someone illustrates the geometry involved in the theorem. Also why this theorem so useful?
This is Luna's Slice theorem from a ...
- 290
18
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400
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Elliptic $\infty$-line bundles over $B G$
Theorem 5.2 in Jacob Lurie's "Survey of Elliptic Cohomology" (pdf) states the equivalence of two maps
$$
B G \longrightarrow B \mathrm{GL}_1(A)
$$
for $A$ an $E_\infty$-ring carrying an oriented ...
- 19.8k
18
votes
0
answers
760
views
Steenrod algebra at a prime power
Let $n=p^k$ be a prime power.
When $k=1$, the algebra of stable operations in mod $p$ cohomology is the Steenrod algebra $\mathcal{A}_p$. It has a nice description in terms of generators and ...
- 35.9k
18
votes
0
answers
503
views
Lipschitz constant of a homotopy
Let $n>0$, $\mathbb S^n$ be $n$-sphere and $1\in \mathbb S^n$ be its north pole.
A am looking for an example of compact manifold $M$ with a continuous $n$-parameter family of maps $h_x\colon M\to ...
- 45k
17
votes
0
answers
493
views
Can the intermediate Chern classes be expressed as Euler classes?
General question: We know that the top Chern class $c_n(\xi)$ of an $n$-dimensional complex vector bundle $\xi$ is its Euler class, while the first Chern class, $c_1(\xi)$, is the Euler class of its ...
- 2,062
17
votes
1
answer
3k
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The homology of the orbit space
Suppose we have an acyclic group $G$ and let $X$ be a contractible CW-complex such that $G$ acts freely on $X$ (we do not suppose that the action is proper).
Is there a way to understand the homology ...
- 223
17
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626
views
Which rings are cohomology rings?
Which rings can arise as cohomology rings of algebraic varieties?
To be more specific, take a Weil cohomology theory $H^*$ with coefficients in a field $K$ of characteristic 0 defined for smooth ...
- 171
17
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answers
391
views
Kan's simplicial formula for the Whitehead product
In his article on Simplicial Homotopy Theory (Advances in Math., 6, (1971), 107 –209) Curtis quotes a formula (on page 197) for the Whitehead and Samelson products in a simplicial group $G$. The ...
- 9,627
17
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427
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On manifolds which do not admit (smooth) actions of finite groups
Question: Assume a smooth manifold $M$ does not admit any effective smooth group actions of finite groups $G \neq 1$, does it follow that $M$ also admits no continuous effective group actions of ...
- 517
17
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553
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Lie algebras vs. graph complexes
A ribbon graph is a graph in which every vertex has valence at least three and is equipped with a cyclic ordering of its adjacent half edges. The ribbon graph complex $\mathcal{G}_*$ is the chain ...
- 2,035
17
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0
answers
757
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The spectral sequence of a tower of principal fibrations
Assume we have a tower of fibrations (of simplicial sets, let's say):
$$\cdots\rightarrow X_{n+1}\rightarrow X_n\rightarrow\cdots\rightarrow X_0.$$
Let $X=\lim_nX_n$ be the (homotopy) inverse limit. ...
- 15.2k
16
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0
answers
426
views
Is the oriented bordism ring generated by homogeneous spaces?
I am trying to find a Riemannian geometrically well-understood set of generators of the oriented bordism ring, including the torsion parts. By a set of generators, I mean that the set generates the ...
- 587
16
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0
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325
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Rational equivalence of smooth closed manifolds
All spaces below will be assumed simply connected. A continuous map is a rational equivalence if it induces an isomorphism of the rational homology groups. Two spaces are rationally equivalent if they ...
- 23.5k
16
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0
answers
288
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Fibrations whose total spaces are more highly connected than their fibers
The (generalized) Hopf fibrations $S^1 \to S^3 \to S^2$, $S^3 \to S^7 \to S^4$ and $S^7 \to S^{15} \to S^8$ have the property that their total spaces are more highly connected than their fibers.
Are ...
- 11.9k
16
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0
answers
222
views
Reference request: Milnor rank of spheres
Milnor defines the rank of a smooth manifold $M$ as the maximum cardinality of a linearly independent set of vector fields on $M$ whose elements are pair wise commuting. In other words, the rank of $M$...
- 343
16
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0
answers
475
views
Progess on a Problem/Conjecture of Sullivan?
In Sullivan's postscript to his MIT notes https://www.maths.ed.ac.uk/~v1ranick/surgery/gtop.pdf he describes some problems and conjectures, where Problem 4 is: "Analyze the action of Gal($\...
- 3,799
16
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0
answers
784
views
What would be the simplest analog of Langlands in algebraic topology?
It is oversimplified, I know, but just as a superficial analogy, one may think of the fact that abelianization of the fundamental group is the first homology group, as some remote relative of class ...
- 18.4k
16
votes
0
answers
644
views
Dijkgraaf-Witten topological invariant
We know that given a finite group $G$ and its group 4-cohomology class $w \in H^4[G;U(1)]$, we can obtain a DW topological invariant $Z_{G,w}(M^4)$ as the partition function of the DW theory on a ...
- 4,826
16
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0
answers
1k
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Connected sum is well-defined for surfaces, proof?
EDIT: So my question is distinct from the question asked here because I am asking an easier question. Why should we have to invoke something as powerful as the "Annulus Theorem" to show that the ...
- 169
16
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answers
2k
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Grothendieck 's question - any update?
This question is migrated from math.stackexchange. I ask because it is still unclear to me and I did not receive an answer.
I was reading Barry Mazur's biography and come across this part:
...
- 6,259
16
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0
answers
1k
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Homology classes of subvarieties of toric varieties
Let $X$ be a smooth proper toric variety, $Z\subseteq X$ a smooth subvariety.
Is the fundamental class $[Z] \in H_\ast(X) = A_\ast(X)$ nonzero?
Background
If $X$ is a Kaehler variety, this is of ...
- 16.2k
16
votes
0
answers
645
views
Codimension Two Embeddings in Goodwillie-Weiss Manifold Calculus, and the Difficulty of Fundamental Groups
In manifold calculus, there are various analyticity estimates which run into trouble for codimension two embeddings. For instance, the functor $\operatorname{Emb}(M,N)$ is analytic in $M$ if $\dim M \...
- 3,351
16
votes
1
answer
408
views
Embedding of two-dimensional CW complexes which induces a zero homomorphism on second homotopy groups
I am interested in the following question which I asked at MSE and did not get any clues. How to find three two-dimensional CW complexes $K_1, K_2, K_3$ with non-trivial $\pi_2$ and injective ...
- 1,129
15
votes
0
answers
317
views
Does there exist a closed 4-manifold whose $\pi_2$ contains torsion elements
Does there exist a closed 4-manifold $X$ such that $\pi_2(X)$ contains torsion elements?
And, if so, does there exist a closed 4-manifold $X$ such that $\pi_2(X)\neq 0$ but $\pi_2(X)\otimes \mathbb{Q}=...
- 151
15
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0
answers
377
views
Lurie's applications of $\infty$-topoi in topology
Lurie's book Higher Topos Theory is extremely interesting, but pretty overwhelming. I don't have the time to read it at the moment. However, the last chapter (7) gives applications of $\infty$-topoi ...
- 714
15
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0
answers
313
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Does virtual Morava K-theory have an Eilenberg-Moore spectral sequence?
In a recent question, Tim Campion was interested in analyzing the Morava $K$–theory of a space $X$ by dissecting the space into connective and coconnective parts: $$X(m, \infty) \to X \to X[0, m].$$ ...
- 6,308
15
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0
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502
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Direct comparison zig-zag between cochain theories
In the paper
Cochain multiplication, Am. J. Math 124 (2002) pp 547–566, doi:10.1353/ajm.2002.0017
Mandell gives axioms for a cochain-level characterisation of ordinary cohomology theory, lifting ...
- 35.5k
15
votes
0
answers
558
views
How well-defined is $\bar\kappa$ in the stable $20$-stem?
The $2$-completed stable $20$-stem $\pi_{20}(S)_2$ is cyclic of order $8$.
Mimura and Toda (1963, Lemma 15.4) mr=157384 show the existence of a class $\bar\kappa_7 \in \pi_{27}(S^7)$ whose stable ...
- 9,263
15
votes
0
answers
712
views
Is there an expository account of homology of simplicial sets that does not assume prior familiarity with any variant of homology?
There are numerous expositions of simplicial homology in the literature.
Munkres in “Elements of Algebraic Topology” develops the homology theory of simplicial complexes.
Hatcher in “Algebraic ...
- 37.8k
15
votes
0
answers
530
views
Is this an $E_\infty$-algebra?
I have a particular kind of algebraic structure that's come up in my work. It's basically a chain complex equipped with a multiplication which is commutative and associative up to homotopy in a ...
- 40.2k
15
votes
0
answers
370
views
Cohomology with compact support for determinant varieties
I wonder if anyone knows anything about the cohomology with compact supports for determinantal varieties, such as the varieties of $m \times n$ matrices of full rank.
- 151
15
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0
answers
400
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References on Discrete field theory vs Discrete differential geometry vs Combinatorial topology
Let me ask several related questions on discretization of classical field theory:
In topological folklore, it is known that cochains are "discrete analogues" of differential forms, and coboundary ...
15
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0
answers
536
views
Reference for equivariant Atiyah-Jänich theorem
The equivariant Atiyah-Jänich theorem is an isomorphism
$$
[X,F]_G \cong K_G^0(X),
$$
where $G$ is a compact Lie group, $X$ is a compact $G$-manifold, $F$ is the space of Fredholm operators on a ...
- 4,519
15
votes
0
answers
716
views
Is this "Homology" useful to study?
In the usual singular homology of a topological space $X$, one consider the free abelian group generated by all continuous maps from the standard simplex $\Delta^{n}$ to $X$.
Now we can ...
- 366
15
votes
0
answers
357
views
Existence of flat connections via characteristic classes, for nice groups
I have two questions about what I write below (which honestly seems pretty elementary).
Is it true (more or less)?
Is there a clean reference that I can cite.
Let $G$ be a compact Lie group, $M$ a ...
- 27.2k
15
votes
0
answers
877
views
Chiral categories versus braided monoidal categories
Let $X$ be a curve over $\mathbf{C}$. As I understand from the 2008 Talbot notes, a chiral category on $X$ consists of a crystal of categories on the Ran space $\mathrm{Ran}(X)$ (see these notes of ...
- 25.6k
15
votes
0
answers
1k
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Homotopy equivalence vs weak homotopy equivalence in Gromov's h-principle
My question concerns Gromov's h-principle for open diffeomorphism-invariant partial differential relations on open manifolds; see e.g. Eliashberg/Mishachev: Introduction to the h-principle, §6.2.A and ...
- 648
15
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0
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592
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What is the determinant of Poincaré duality?
For a complex $C^{\bullet}$ of finite dimensional vector spaces, one has a determinant
$$|C^\bullet|:= \bigotimes \left(\Lambda^{top} C^i\right)^{(-1)^i}$$
functorial with respect to quasi-...
- 8,723
15
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0
answers
466
views
"topological" Ochanine genus?
The Witten genus has famously been lifted to the string orientation of tmf ("topological Witten genus"). For the Ochanine genus, I am aware of a lift to a "spin orientation of Tate K-...
- 19.8k
15
votes
0
answers
2k
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Homotopy groups of the orthogonal group
I'm interested in knowing what $n$-dimensional vector bundles on the $n$-sphere look like, or equivalently in determining $\pi_{n-1}(SO(n))$; here's a case that I haven't been able to solve.
Let $n \...
- 25.6k
15
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0
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2k
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Covers of $Z^k$
This is a question related to covers of $Z^\infty$. Is it possible to cover $Z^k$, $k>1$, with the $l_1$-metric by a constant (not depending on $k$) number of collections of subsets $U^0,...,U^c$ ...
14
votes
0
answers
326
views
When can we extend a diffeomorphism from a surface to its neighborhood as identity?
Let $M$ be a closed and simply-connected 4-manifold and let $f: M^4 \to M^4$ be a diffeomorphism such that $f^*: H^*(M;\mathbb{Z})\to H^*(M;\mathbb{Z})$ is the identity map. Moreover, let $\Sigma \...
- 3,751
14
votes
0
answers
341
views
Is this class of groups already in the literature or specified by standard conditions?
In recent work
Lifting $N_\infty$ operads from conjugacy data on homotopical combinatorics / $N_\infty$ operads in equivariant homotopy theory, collaborators
Scott Balchin, Ethan MacBrough, and I ...
- 141