Some calculations involving configuration spaces of distinct points

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(Introduction)
(Uniqueness theorems)
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We extend equivariant homotopy on symmetric simplices in the symmetric way, so we obtain an equivariant homotopy.
We extend equivariant homotopy on symmetric simplices in the symmetric way, so we obtain an equivariant homotopy.
(b) Since $\widetilde{N}$ has non-empty boundary, there exists an equivariant deformational retraction of $\widetilde{N}$ to an equivariant $(2n-1)$-subcomplex of $T$. A homotopy between $\phi$ and $\psi$ on the subcomplex can by constructed similarly to case~(a). This homotopy can be extended to a homotopy on $\widetilde{N}$.
+
(b) Since $\widetilde{N}$ has non-empty boundary, there exists an equivariant deformational retraction of $\widetilde{N}$ to an equivariant $(2n-1)$-subcomplex of $T$. A homotopy between $\phi$ and $\psi$ on the subcomplex can by constructed similarly to case (a). This homotopy can be extended to a homotopy on $\widetilde{N}$.
QED
QED
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</wikitex>

Revision as of 12:25, 12 April 2020

This page has not been refereed. The information given here might be incomplete or provisional.

1 Introduction

‘The complement of the diagonal’ and ‘the Gauss map’ ideas play a great role in different branches of mathematics. The Haefliger-Wu invariant is a manifestation of these ideas in the theory of embeddings. The complement to the diagonal idea originated from two celebrated theorems: the Lefschetz Fixed Point Theorem and the Borsuk-Ulam Antipodes Theorem. See [Vassiliev1992].

In introducing notation and definitions we follow [Skopenkov2020a].

The deleted product

\displaystyle \widetilde K=K^{\underline2}:=\{(x,y)\in K\times K\ :\ x\ne y\}.

This is the configuration space of ordered pairs of distinct points of K.

Suppose that f:K\to\R^m is an embedding of a subset K\subset \mathbb R^N. Then the map \widetilde f:\widetilde K\to S^{m-1} is well-defined by the Gauss formula

\displaystyle \widetilde f(x,y)=\frac{f(x)-f(y)}{|f(x)-f(y)|}.

We have \widetilde f(y,x)=-\widetilde f(x,y), i.e. this map is equivariant with respect to the `exchanging factors' involution (x,y)\mapsto(y,x) on \widetilde K and the antipodal involution on S^{m-1}. Thus the existence of an equivariant map \widetilde K\to S^{m-1} is a necessary condition for the embeddability of K in \R^m.

Denote by \mathrm{Emb}^{m}K the set embeddings of K into \mathbb R^{m} up to isotopy. Let \pi_{\mathrm{eq}}^{m}(\widetilde K) = [\widetilde K;S^{m}]_{\mathrm{eq}} be the set of equivariant maps \widetilde K \to S^m up to equivariant homotopy. Denote by [f] the equivalence class of the map f.

The Haefliger-Wu invariant \alpha:\mathrm{Emb}^{m}K\to \pi_{\mathrm{eq}}^{m-1}(\widetilde{K}) is defined by formula \alpha([f]) = [\widetilde f].

Theorem 1.1. The Haefliger-Wu invariant \alpha:\mathrm{Emb}^m K\to\pi^{m-1}_{\mathrm{eq}}( \widetilde K) is one-to-one either

(a) K is a compact connected n-complex and 2m\ge 3n+4 or

(b) K is a compact n-manifold with nonempty boundary, (K, \partial K) is k-connected, \pi_1(\partial K) = 0, k + 3 \le n, (n, k) \notin \{(5, 2), (4, 1)\} and 2m\ge 3n+2-k.

See [Skopenkov2006, \S 5] and [Haefliger1963, 6.4], [Skopenkov2002, Theorem 1.1\alpha\partial] for the DIFF case and [Skopenkov2002, Theorem 1.3\alpha\partial] for the PL case.

2 Uniqueness theorems

Lemma 2.1. Assume that N is a compact n-manifold and either

(a) m \ge 2n+2 or

(b) N is connected and m \ge 2n+1 \ge 5.

Then each two equivariant maps from \widetilde N to S^{m-1} are equivariantly homotopic.

Hereafter denote by \widetilde K the product K\times K minus tubular neighborhood of the diagonal.

Proof. Given two equivariant maps \phi, \psi\colon\widetilde N \to S^{m-1} take an arbitrary equivariant triangulation T of \widetilde N.

(a) One can easily construct an equivariant homotopy between restrictions of \phi and \psi on vertices of T. By general position a homotopy between \phi and \psi on the boundary of a simplex can be extended to a homotopy on the whole simplex since the dimension of the simplex does not exceed 2n+1. We extend equivariant homotopy on symmetric simplices in the symmetric way, so we obtain an equivariant homotopy.

(b) Since \widetilde{N} has non-empty boundary, there exists an equivariant deformational retraction of \widetilde{N} to an equivariant (2n-1)-subcomplex of T. A homotopy between \phi and \psi on the subcomplex can by constructed similarly to case (a). This homotopy can be extended to a homotopy on \widetilde{N}. QED


3 References

V. A. Vassiliev, Complements of discriminants of smooth maps: Topology and applications., Amer. Math. Soc., Providence, RI, (1992).

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