Ganea proved that the loop space of $\mathbb{C} P^n$ is homotopy commutative if and only if $n=3$ . We generalize this result to that the loop spaces of all irreducible Hermitian symmetric spaces but $\mathbb{C} P^3$ are not homotopy commutative. The computation also applies to determining the homotopy nilpotency class of the loop spaces of generalized flag manifolds $G/T$ for a maximal torus T of a compact, connected Lie group G.

Let $\mathscr {A}$ be a topological Azumaya algebra of degree $mn$ over a CW complex X. We give conditions for the positive integers m and n, and the space X so that $\mathscr {A}$ can be decomposed as the tensor product of topological Azumaya algebras of degrees m and n. Then we prove that if $m<n$ and the dimension of X is higher than $2m+1$ , $\mathscr {A}$ may not have such decomposition.

We exploit the Galois symmetries of the little disks operads to show that many differentials in the Goodwillie–Weiss spectral sequences approximating the homology and homotopy of knot spaces vanish at a prime $p$. Combined with recent results on the relationship between embedding calculus and finite-type theory, we deduce that the $(n+1)$th Goodwillie–Weiss approximation is a $p$-local universal Vassiliev invariant of degree $\leq n$ for every $n \leq p + 1$.

We determine the (non-)triviality of Samelson products of inclusions of factors of the mod p decomposition of $G_{(p)}$ for $(G,p)=(E_7,5),(E_7,7),(E_8,7)$. This completes the determination of the (non-)triviality of those Samelson products in p-localized exceptional Lie groups when G has p-torsion-free homology.

Infinite product operations are at the forefront of the study of homotopy groups of Peano continua and other locally path-connected spaces. In this paper, we define what it means for a space X to have infinitely commutative $\pi _1$ -operations at a point $x\in X$ . Using a characterization in terms of the Specker group, we identify several natural situations in which this property arises. Maintaining a topological viewpoint, we define the transfinite abelianization of a fundamental group at any set of points $A\subseteq X$ in a way that refines and extends previous work on the subject.

Let p be prime. We prove that, for n odd, the p-torsion part of πq(Sn) has cardinality at most $p^{2^{{1}/({p-1})(q-n+3-2p)}}$ and hence has rank at most 21/(p−1)(q−n+3−2p). for p = 2, these results also hold for n even. The best bounds proven in the existing literature are $p^{2^{q-n+1}}$ and 2q−n+1, respectively, both due to Hans–Werner Henn. The main point of our result is therefore that the bound grows more slowly for larger primes. As a corollary of work of Henn, we obtain a similar result for the homotopy groups of a broader class of spaces.

This note is on spherical classes in $H_*(QS^0;k)$ when $k=\mathbb{Z}, \mathbb{Z}/p$, with a special focus on the case of p=2 related to the Curtis conjecture. We apply Freudenthal's theorem to prove a vanishing result for the unstable Hurewicz image of elements in ${\pi _*^s}$ that factor through certain finite spectra. After either p-localization or p-completion, this immediately implies that elements of well-known infinite families in ${_p\pi _*^s}$, such as Mahowaldean families, map trivially under the unstable Hurewicz homomorphism ${_p\pi _*^s}\simeq {_p\pi _*}QS^0\to H_*(QS^0;\mathbb{Z} /p)$. We also observe that the image of the submodule of decomposable elements under the integral unstable Hurewicz homomorphism $\pi _*^s\simeq \pi _*QS^0\to H_*(QS^0;\mathbb{Z} )$ is given by $\mathbb{Z} \{h(\eta ^2),h(\nu ^2),h(\sigma ^2)\}$. We apply the latter to completely determine spherical classes in $H_*(\Omega ^dS^{n+d};\mathbb{Z} /2)$ for certain values of n>0 and d>0; this verifies Eccles' conjecture on spherical classes in $H_*QS^n$, n>0, on finite loop spaces associated with spheres.

For certain pairs of Lie groups (G, H) and primes p, Harris showed a relation of the p-localized homotopy groups of G and H. This is reinterpreted as a p-local homotopy equivalence G ≃ (p)H × G/H, and so there is a projection G(p) → H(p). We show how much this projection preserves the higher homotopy associativity.

This paper concerns extension of maps using obstruction theory under a non-classical viewpoint. It is given a classification of homotopy classes of maps and as an application it is presented a simple proof of a theorem by Adachi about equivalence of vector bundles. Also it is proved that, under certain conditions, two embeddings are homotopic up to surgery if and only if the respective normal bundles are SO-equivalent.

It is well known that if X is a CW-complex, then for every weak homotopy equivalence f : A → B, the map f* : [X, A] → [X, B] induced in homotopy classes is a bijection. In fact, up to homotopy equivalence, only CW-complexes have that property. Now, for which spaces X is f* : [B, X] → [A, X] a bijection for every weak equivalence f? This question was considered by J. Strom and T. Goodwillie. In this note we prove that a non-empty space inverts weak equivalences if and only if it is contractible.

The algebraic EHP sequences, algebraic analogues of the EHP sequences in homotopy theory, are important tools in algebraic topology. This note will outline two new proofs of the existence of the algebraic EHP sequences. The first proof is derived from the minimal injective resolution of the reduced singular cohomology of spheres, and the second one follows Bousfield's idea using the loop functor of unstable modules.

A natural composition ⊙ on all pages of the lower central series spectral sequence for spheres is defined. Moreover, it is defined for the p-lower central series spectral sequence of a simplicial group. It is proved that the rth differential satisfies a ‘Leibniz rule with suspension’: dr(a ⊙ σ b) = ±dra ⊙ b + a ⊙ dr σ b, where σ is the suspension homomorphism.

Using the descent spectral sequence for a Galois extension of ring spectra, we compute the Picard group of the higher real $K$-theory spectra of Hopkins and Miller at height $n=p-1$, for $p$ an odd prime. More generally, we determine the Picard groups of the homotopy fixed points spectra $E_{n}^{hG}$, where $E_{n}$ is Lubin–Tate $E$-theory at the prime $p$ and height $n=p-1$, and $G$ is any finite subgroup of the extended Morava stabilizer group. We find that these Picard groups are always cyclic, generated by the suspension.

For every countable group $G$ we construct a compact path connected subspace $K$ of $\mathbb{R}^{4}$ such that ${\it\pi}_{1}(K)\cong G$. Our construction is much simpler than the one found recently by Virk.

The topology of the Čech fundamental group of the one-point compactification of an appropriate space Y induces a topology on the fundamental group of Y. We describe this topology in terms of a topological group introduced by Higman.