# nLab Sullivan model of mapping space

Contents

### Context

#### Rational homotopy theory

and

rational homotopy theory

# Contents

## Idea

Given two topological spaces $X$, $Y$ one may ask for the rational homotopy type of their mapping space $Maps(X,Y)$. Under good conditions this is a nilpotent space of finite type and hence admits a Sullivan model from which its rationalized homotopy groups and its rational cohomology groups may be read off.

## Examples

### Mapping spaces between spheres

###### Proposition

Let $n \in \mathbb{N}$ be a natural number and $f\colon S^n \to S^n$ a continuous function from the n-sphere to itself. Then the connected component $Maps_f\big( S^n, S^n\big)$ of the mapping space which contains this map has the following rational homotopy type:

(1)$Maps_f\big( S^n, S^n\big) \;\simeq_{\mathbb{Q}}\; \left\{ \array{ S^n \times S^{n-1} &\vert& n\,\text{even}\,, deg(f) = 0 \\ S^{2n-1} &\vert& n \, \text{even}\,, deg(f) \neq 0 \\ S^n &\vert& n\, \text{odd} } \right.$

where $deg(f)$ is the degree of $f$.

Moreover, under the canonical morphism expressing the canonical action of the special orthogonal group $SO(n+1)$ on $S^n = S\big( \mathbb{R}^{n+1}\big)$ (regarded as the unit sphere in $(n+1)$-dimensional Cartesian space) we have that on ordinary homology

$\array{ H_\bullet\Big( SO\big( n+ 1 \big) \Big) &\longrightarrow& H_\bullet\Big( Maps_{f = id}\big( S^n, S^n \big) \Big) }$

the generator in $\left\{ \array{ H_{2n+1}\big( SO(n+1), \mathbb{Q} \big) \simeq \mathbb{Q} &\vert& n\, \text{even} \\ H_{n}\big( SO(n+1), \mathbb{Q} \big) \simeq \mathbb{Q} &\vert& n\, \text{odd} } \right.$ maps to the fundamental class of the respective spheres in (1), all other generators mapping to zero.

See at Sullivan model of a spherical fibration for more on this.

## References

Last revised on March 5, 2019 at 02:25:25. See the history of this page for a list of all contributions to it.