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2 votes
0 answers
125 views

Is there a theory of fundamental groups for $C^*$-algebras instead of topological spaces?

Is it possible to construct a theory of fundamental groups $\pi_1 (A,a_0)$ for pointed $C^*$-algebras $(A,a_0)$ instead of pointed topological spaces $(X,x_0)$ : $\pi_0 (X,x_0)$ ? If the answer is yes,...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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) $ ...
2 votes
0 answers
111 views

Is the connecting map $\pi_2(B) \to \pi_1(F)$ ever nonzero in smooth proper families?

Suppose that $X, B$ are smooth irreducible varieties over $\mathbb{C}$ and $f : X \to B$ is a smooth proper morphism. Then we can consider the homotopy exact sequence: $$ \pi_2(B) \to \pi_1(F) \to \...
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 ...
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,...
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 ...
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 $\pi_1$-...
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 $Top_*$. ...
8 votes
1 answer
850 views

Representation theory of higher homotopy groups

I've seen some works on the representation of fundamental groups, which are (at least for me) quite important topic in mathematics. For example, Riemann-Hilbert correspondence relates representation ...
0 votes
1 answer
109 views

Fundamental group to groupoid : bijection between homotopy classes?

I'm looking at the fundamental group $\pi_{1}(M)$ of the $n^{th}$ unordered configuration space $M$ of $\mathbb{R}^{d}$. In particular, it's well-known that $\pi_{1}(M)\cong S_{n}$ (symmetric group) ...
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 ...
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 ...
3 votes
1 answer
321 views

A complex variety with a finite non-abelian simple fundamental group

Does there exist a complex smooth proper variety whose fundamental group is finite non-abelian simple?
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\...
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 $...
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}]...
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 ...
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 $X$, ...
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 $\...
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 ...
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'...
8 votes
1 answer
813 views

Inverse galois problem and étale homotopy

Is there any relation between étale homotopy theory (Grothendieck-Galois theory) and the inverse Galois problem?...I mean...in classical homotopy theory, every finite group $G$ realizes as a "Galois ...
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 ...
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 $p:X\rightarrow X/G$ ...
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 ...
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 ...
24 votes
5 answers
6k views

How should one understand orbifold fundamental groups?

I am studying orbifold fundamental group (or more generally orbifold homotopy groups). In a nutshell, my questions is: what are they intuitively? In what follows I give definitions and more precise ...
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 ...
14 votes
3 answers
1k views

Can we define homotopy groups using Tannakian categories

This is another vague question. Hope you guys don't mind. Let $T$ be a Tannakian category. For any fibre functor $F$ on $T$ we define the fundamental group of $T$ at $F$, denoted by $\pi_1(T,F)$, to ...
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 $\...