In this paper we show that the cohomology of a connected CW complex is periodic if and only if it is the base space of an orientable spherical fibration with total space that is homotopically finite dimensional. As applications we characterize those discrete groups that act freely and properly on a cartesian product of euclidean space and a sphere; we construct non-standard free actions of rank two simple groups on finite complexes Y homotopy equivalent to a product of two spheres and we prove that a finite p-group P acts freely on such a complex if and only if it does not contain a subgroup isomorphic to Z/p X Z/p X Z/p.
We formalize an equivariant version of Bestvina-Brady discrete Morse theory, and apply it to Vietoris-Rips complexes in order to exhibit finite universal spaces for proper actions for all asymptotically CAT(0) groups.
In this paper, we describe the homotopy type of the homotopy fixed point sets of $S^3$-actions on rational spheres and complex projective spaces, and provide some properties of $S^1$-actions on a general rational complex.
Smith theory says that the fixed point of a semi-free action of a group $G$ on a contractible space is ${\bb Z}_p$-acyclic for any prime factor $p$ of $G$. Jones proved the converse of Smith theory for the case $G$ is a cyclic group acting on finite CW-complexes. We extend the theory to semi-free group action on finite CW-complexes of given homotopy type, in various settings. In particular, the converse of Smith theory holds if and only if certain $K$-theoretical obstruction vanishes. We also give some examples that show the effects of different types of the $K$-theoretical obstruction.
If $G$ has $4$-periodic cohomology, then D2 complexes over $G$ are determined up to polarised homotopy by their Euler characteristic if and only if $G$ has at most two one-dimensional quaternionic representations. We use this to solve Wall's D2 problem for several infinite families of non-abelian groups and, in these cases, also show that any finite Poincaré $3$-complex $X$ with $π_1(X)=G$ admits a cell structure with a single $3$-cell. The proof involves cancellation theorems for $\mathbb{Z} G$ modules where $G$ has periodic cohomology.
If P is a dg-operad acting on a dg-algebra A via algebra homomorphisms, then P acts on the Hochschild complex of A. In the more general case when P is a dg-prop, we show that P still acts on the Hochschild complex, but only up to coherent homotopy. We moreover give a functorial dg-replacement of P that strictifies the action. As an application, we obtain an explicit strictification of the homotopy coherent commutative Hopf algebra structure on the Hochschild complex of a commutative Hopf algebra.
We explain our previous results about Hochschild actions [Kau07a, Kau08a] pertaining in particular to the coproduct which appeared in a different form in [GH09] and provide a fresh look at the results. We recall the general action, specialize to the aforementioned coproduct and prove that the assumption of commutativity, made for convenience in [Kau08a], is not needed. We give detailed background material on loop spaces, Hochschild complexes and dualizations, and discuss details and extensions of these techniques which work for all operations of [Kau07a, Kau08a]. With respect to loop spaces, w…
Given any modular category $\mathcal{C}$ over an algebraically closed field $k$, we extract a sequence $(M_g)_{g\geq 0}$ of $\mathcal{C}$-bimodules. We show that the Hochschild chain complex $CH(\mathcal{C};M_g)$ of $\mathcal{C}$ with coefficients in $M_g$ carries a canonical homotopy coherent projective action of the mapping class group of the surface of genus $g+1$. The ordinary Hochschild complex of $\mathcal{C}$ corresponds to $CH(\mathcal{C};M_0)$. This result is obtained as part of the following more comprehensive topological structure: We construct a symmetric monoidal functor $\mathfra…
Methods are developed to relate the action of a principal fibration to relative Whitehead products in order to determine the homotopy type of certain spaces. The methods are applied to thoroughly analyze the homotopy type of the based loops on certain cell attachments. Key examples are (n-1)-connected Poincare Duality complexes of dimension 2n or 2n+1 with minor cohomological conditions.
We define a variant of Benjamini-Schramm convergence for finite simplicial complexes with the action of a fixed finite group G which leads to the notion of random rooted simplicial G-complexes. For every random rooted simplicial G-complex we define a corresponding $\ell^2$-homology and the $\ell^2$-multiplicity of an irreducible representation of G in the homology. The $\ell^2$-multiplicities generalize the $\ell^2$-Betti numbers and we show that they are continuous on the space of sofic random rooted simplicial G-complexes. In addition, we study induction of random rooted complexes and discus…
Let $L$ be a simplicial complex. In this paper, we study random sub-hypergraphs and random sub-complexes of $L$. By considering the minimal complex that a sub-hypergraph can be embedded in and the maximal complex that can be embedded in a sub-hypergraph, we define some maps on the space of probability functions on sub-hypergraphs of $L$. We study the compositions of these maps as well as their actions on the space of probability functions.
We construct an equivariant version of discrete Morse theory for simplicial complexes endowed with group actions. The key ingredient is a 2-categorical criterion for making acyclic partial matchings on the quotient space compatible with an overlaid complex of groups. We use the discrete flow category of any such compatible matching to build the corresponding Morse complex of groups. Our main result establishes that the development of the Morse complex of groups recovers the original simplicial complex up to equivariant homotopy equivalence.
We investigate strictly developable simple complexes of groups with arbitrary local groups, or equivalently, group actions admitting a strict fundamental domain. We introduce a new method for computing the cohomology of such groups. We also generalise Bestvina's construction to obtain a polyhedral complex equivariantly homotopy equivalent to the standard development of the lowest possible dimension. As applications, for a group acting chamber transitively on a building of type $(W,S)$, we show that its Bredon cohomological dimension is equal to the virtual cohomological dimension of $W$ and gi…
Let $V$ be an elementary abelian $2$-group and $X$ be a finite $V$-CW-complex. In this memoir we study two cochain complexes of modules over the mod2 Steenrod algebra $\mathrm{A}$, equipped with an action of $\mathrm{H}^{*}V$, the mod2 cohomology of $V$, both associated with $X$. The first, which we call the "topological complex", is defined using the orbit filtration of $X$. The second, which we call the "algebraic complex", is defined just in terms of the unstable $\mathrm{A}$-module $\mathrm{H}^*_V X$, the mod2 equivariant cohomology of $X$. Our study makes intensive use of the theory of un…
