The 1-type of a Waldhausen K-theory spectrum

We give a small functorial algebraic model for the 2-stage Postnikov section of the K-theory spectrum of a Waldhausen category and use our presentation to describe the multiplicative structure with respect to biexact functors.Comment: We include more technical details which were left to the reader in the previous version

On the functoriality of cohomology of categories

In this paper we show that the Baues-Wirsching complex used to define cohomology of categories is a 2-functor from a certain 2-category of natural systems of abelian groups to the 2-category of chain complexes, chain homomorphism and relative homotopy classes of chain homotopies. As a consequence we derive (co)localization theorems for this cohomology.Comment: 15 page

Holonomy Groups of Complete Flat Pseudo-Riemannian Homogeneous Spaces

We show that a complete flat pseudo-Riemannian homogeneous manifold with non-abelian linear holonomy is of dimension at least 14. Due to an example constructed in a previous article by Oliver Baues and the author, this is a sharp bound. Also, we give a structure theory for the fundamental groups of complete flat pseudo-Riemannian manifolds in dimensions less than 7. Finally, we observe that every finitely generated torsion-free 2-step nilpotent group can be realized as the fundamental group of a complete flat pseudo-Riemannian manifold with abelian linear holonomy.Comment: 16 page

Stems and Spectral Sequences

We introduce the category Pstem[n] of n-stems, with a functor P[n] from spaces to Pstem[n]. This can be thought of as the n-th order homotopy groups of a space. We show how to associate to each simplicial n-stem Q an (n+1)-truncated spectral sequence. Moreover, if Q=P[n]X is the Postnikov n-stem of a simplicial space X, the truncated spectral sequence for Q is the truncation of the usual homotopy spectral sequence of X. Similar results are also proven for cosimplicial n-stems. They are helpful for computations, since n-stems in low degrees have good algebraic models

Flat Pseudo-Riemannian Homogeneous Spaces with Non-Abelian Holonomy Group

We construct homogeneous flat pseudo-Riemannian manifolds with non-abelian fundamental group. In the compact case, all homogeneous flat pseudo-Riemannian manifolds are complete and have abelian linear holonomy group. To the contrary, we show that there do exist non-compact and non-complete examples, where the linear holonomy is non-abelian, starting in dimensions $\geq 8$, which is the lowest possible dimension. We also construct a complete flat pseudo-Riemannian homogeneous manifold of dimension 14 with non-abelian linear holonomy. Furthermore, we derive a criterion for the properness of the action of an affine transformation group with transitive centralizer

Self-maps of the product of two spheres fixing the diagonal

AbstractWe compute the monoid of essential self-maps of Sn×Sn fixing the diagonal. More generally, we consider products S×S, where S is a suspension. Essential self-maps of S×S demonstrate the interplay between the pinching action for a mapping cone and the fundamental action on homotopy classes under a space. We compute examples with non-trivial fundamental actions

Strongly minimal PD4-complexes

We consider the homotopy types of $PD_4$-complexes $X$ with fundamental group $\pi$ such that $c.d.\pi=2$ and $\pi$ has one end. Let $\beta=\beta_2(\pi;F_2)$ and $w=w_1(X)$. Our main result is that (modulo two technical conditions on $(\pi,w)$) there are at most $2^\beta$ orbits of $k$-invariants determining "strongly minimal" complexes (i.e., those with homotopy intersection pairing $\lambda_X$ trivial). The homotopy type of a $PD_4$-complex $X$ with $\pi$ a $PD_2$-group is determined by $\pi$, $w$, $\lambda_X$ and the $v_2$-type of $X$. Our result also implies that Fox's 2-knot with metabelian group is determined up to TOP isotopy and reflection by its group.Comment: 17 page

Isometry groups with radical, and aspherical Riemannian manifolds with large symmetry I

Every compact aspherical Riemannian manifold admits a canonical series of orbibundle structures with infrasolv fibers which is called its infrasolv tower. The tower arises from the solvable radicals of isometry group actions on the universal covers. Its length and the geometry of its base measure the degree of continuous symmetry of an aspherical Riemannian manifold. We say that the manifold has large symmetry if it admits an infrasolv tower whose base is a locally homogeneous space. We construct examples of aspherical manifolds with large symmetry, which do not support any locally homogeneous Riemannian metrics

The third homotopy group as a π₁-module

It is well-known how to compute the structure of the second homotopy group of a space, X, as a module over the fundamental group π₁X, using the homology of the universal cover and the Hurewicz isomorphism. We describe a new method to compute the third homotopy group, π₃X as a module over π₁X. Moreover, we determine π₃X as an extension of π₁X-modules derived from Whitehead's Certain Exact Sequence. Our method is based on the theory of quadratic modules. Explicit computations are carried out for pseudo-projective 3-spaces X=S¹Ue²Ue³ consisting of exactly one cell in each dimension ≤ 3