All Questions
25 questions
119
votes
6
answers
10k
views
What properties make $[0,1]$ a good candidate for defining fundamental groups?
The title essentially says it all. Consider the category $\mathfrak{Top}_2$ of triples $(J,e_0,e_1)$ where $J$ is a topological space, and $e_i \in J$. There is an obvious generalization of the ...
- 5,759
66
votes
4
answers
6k
views
Is $\mathbb{R}^3 \setminus \mathbb{Q}^3$ simply connected?
Similarly is the complement of any countable set in $\mathbb R^3$ simply connected?
Reading around I found plenty of articles discussing the path connectedness $\mathbb R^2 \setminus \mathbb Q^2$ and ...
- 1,187
38
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What is the fewest number of points you must delete from $\mathbb{R}^3$ to make it not simply connected?
This question concerns a set-theoretic aspect that I found interesting in the recent question asked by user Nick R., namely, Is
$\mathbb{R}^3\setminus\mathbb{Q}^3$ simply connected? He had asked ...
- 237k
34
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is every ''group-completion'' map an acyclic map?
I start with a longer discussion which will result in a precise version of the question. I am puzzled about an issue with the
Quillen plus construction. I have seen outstanding experts being confused ...
- 20.9k
27
votes
3
answers
7k
views
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 $Top_*$.
...
- 609
17
votes
3
answers
4k
views
What is π_1(BG) for an arbitrary topological group $G$?
The classifying space $BG=|Nerve(G)|$ of an arbitrary topological group $G$ does not necessarily have the homotopy type of a CW-complex but the fundamental group should still be accessible. What is $\...
- 7,203
13
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Manifolds with prescribed fundamental group and finitely many trivial homotopy groups
Fix $G$, a finitely generated presented group.
It is known that for every $k > 3$ there is a closed $k$-manifold whose fundamental group is $G$. Similarly, there is a topological space with ...
- 3,165
13
votes
0
answers
863
views
About maps inducing bijections on homotopy classes
Let us assume that $f:X \to Y$ is a map of connected CW complexes, having the following property: if $K$ is a finite CW complex, then the induced map $f_{\ast}:[K,X] \to [K,Y]$ on \emph{free} homotopy ...
- 20.9k
12
votes
1
answer
832
views
Space with semi-locally simply connected open subsets
A topological space $X$ is semi-locally simply connected if, for any $x\in X$, there exists an open neighbourhood $U$ of $x$ such that any loop in $U$ is homotopically equivalent to a constant one in $...
- 303
9
votes
2
answers
710
views
For which spaces $S^n$ ($n\geq 2$) is a universal covering space?
I know that $S^n$ $(n\geq 2)$ is a universal covering space for itself and $\mathbb{RP}^n$. But my question is, for which spaces (up to homotopy equivalence) is $S^n$ ($n\geq 2$) a universal covering ...
- 1,182
8
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Does the isomorphic of the fundamental groups imply the existence of a mapping inducing an isomorphism?
A pair of continuous mappings $f \colon X \to Y$ and $g \colon Y \to X$ is called $\pi_1$-equivalence if they induce mutually inverse isomorphisms of fundamental groups. Spaces are called $\pi_1$-...
- 6,962
7
votes
1
answer
490
views
Categorical Significance of Fibrations
It is well known that the category $\text{Set}$ classifies covering spaces among $1$-categories. That is, for each topological space $X$, there is an equivalence of categories $[ \Pi (X) , \text{Set}]...
user30211
6
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Action of fundamental group on homotopy fiber
For a Serre fibration of pointed topological spaces $f:X \to B$, there is an action of $\pi_1\left(B,b_0\right)$ on the fiber $F$. The construction of this action I'm familiar with uses a lift $F\...
- 834
5
votes
1
answer
416
views
triviality of homology with local coefficients
Let $X$ be a manifold or a CW-complex.
Let
$\pi: \tilde X\longrightarrow X$
be a covering map.
Let $\pi_1(X)$ be the fundamental group of $X$ and let $\rho: \pi_1(X)\longrightarrow O(n)$ be an ...
- 1,990
5
votes
1
answer
353
views
Fundamental groups of open sets in $R^n$ with $n=3,4$
It is well known that every finitely presented group may be realised as fundamental group of some closed $4$-manifold.
What groups can be obtained as fundamental groups of open subsets of $R^4$? I'...
- 9,340
4
votes
1
answer
375
views
What is kernel $\phi:G\rightarrow \pi_1(X/G,p(x_0))$?
Let $G$ be a discontinuous group (this means that it acts discontinuously with finite stabilizers) of homeomorphisms of a simply connected, locally compact metric space $X$. Let $p:X\rightarrow X/G$ ...
- 399
3
votes
2
answers
425
views
A question on the manifold $ \{n\otimes n-m\otimes m:n,m\in S^2,(n,m)=0\} $
Consider a manifold $ N $ defined as follows
$$
N=\{n\otimes n-m\otimes m:n,m\in S^2,\quad(n,m)=0\}\subset M^{3\times 3},
$$
where $ S^2 $ denotes the two dimensional sphere, $ (\cdot,\cdot) $ ...
- 1,219
3
votes
1
answer
1k
views
The (topological) fundamental group of (quasi)-projective algebraic varieties
I would like to know:
What does the fundamental group of a quasi-projective algebraic variety look like?
I remember that I have seen somewhere that for a connected, finite-type CW-complex $X$, ...
- 169
3
votes
2
answers
509
views
Can the loops in the definition of the fundamental group be considered injective?
Let $\mathrm{С}$ be some class of topological spaces that includes at least all subspaces of $\mathbb{R}^n $. Further we are in the category $\mathrm{С}_{*}$ (the category of point spaces; all ...
- 6,962
3
votes
1
answer
311
views
Fundamental group of twisted loop space
I'm interested in computing the fundamental group of the twisted loop space $$\Omega_f(M)=\{ \gamma \in C^{\infty}(\Bbb R,M) \mid \gamma(s+1)=f\gamma(s)\}$$
where $f \in \text{Aut}(M,x_0)$, for ...
- 503
3
votes
1
answer
429
views
A projective (or free) $\mathbb{Z}\pi_1$-module
Suppose that $Z$ is a finite wedge of spheres containing circles and there exist maps $f:Y\to Z$ and $g:Z\to Y$ so that $g\circ f\simeq 1_Y$. Assume that there exists a map $h:X\to Y$ which induces ...
- 139
3
votes
1
answer
173
views
Approximation of homotopy avoiding a point in $\mathbb{R}^3$
For a proof that $\mathbb{R}^3\setminus \mathbb{Q}^3$ is simply connected using Baire category theorem I need to approximate an homotopy $H : [0,1]\times \mathbb{S}^1 \to \mathbb{R}^3$ from a loop $\...
- 179
1
vote
1
answer
1k
views
Computing the fundamental group of a flag variety
Let $G$ be a compact and connected and simply connected Lie group and $\mathfrak{g}$ be its Lie algebra and $x\in\mathfrak{g}^*$. How can we compute the fundamental group of $G/G_x$ where $G_x$ is ...
user21574
1
vote
0
answers
127
views
Fundamental groups of open algebraic varieties [closed]
Let X be an algebraic variety over $\mathbb C$.
1. Is it possible to compute its fundamental group?
2. If X is two dimensional, what is its fundamental group?
3. Let $X\to \bar X$ be the inclusion to ...
- 169
0
votes
1
answer
207
views
Is $\pi_2 (X_i)$ a free $\mathbb{Z}\pi_1 (X_i)$-module for $i=1,2$?
Let $X_1$ be the suspension of $\mathbb{R}P^2$ and $X_2=\bigvee_{1\leq i\leq n} (\vee_{r_i} \mathbb{S}^i)$.
Is $\pi_2 (X_i)$ a projective (or a free) $\mathbb{Z}\pi_1 (X_i)$-module for $i=1,...
- 1,182