---
_id: '6774'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: "A central problem of algebraic topology is to understand the homotopy groups
\ \U0001D70B\U0001D451(\U0001D44B) of a topological space X. For the computational
version of the problem, it is well known that there is no algorithm to decide
whether the fundamental group \U0001D70B1(\U0001D44B) of a given finite simplicial
complex X is trivial. On the other hand, there are several algorithms that, given
a finite simplicial complex X that is simply connected (i.e., with \U0001D70B1(\U0001D44B)
\ trivial), compute the higher homotopy group \U0001D70B\U0001D451(\U0001D44B)
\ for any given \U0001D451≥2 . However, these algorithms come with a caveat:
They compute the isomorphism type of \U0001D70B\U0001D451(\U0001D44B) , \U0001D451≥2
\ as an abstract finitely generated abelian group given by generators and relations,
but they work with very implicit representations of the elements of \U0001D70B\U0001D451(\U0001D44B)
. Converting elements of this abstract group into explicit geometric maps from
the d-dimensional sphere \U0001D446\U0001D451 to X has been one of the main
unsolved problems in the emerging field of computational homotopy theory. Here
we present an algorithm that, given a simply connected space X, computes \U0001D70B\U0001D451(\U0001D44B)
\ and represents its elements as simplicial maps from a suitable triangulation
of the d-sphere \U0001D446\U0001D451 to X. For fixed d, the algorithm runs
in time exponential in size(\U0001D44B) , the number of simplices of X. Moreover,
we prove that this is optimal: For every fixed \U0001D451≥2 , we construct a
family of simply connected spaces X such that for any simplicial map representing
a generator of \U0001D70B\U0001D451(\U0001D44B) , the size of the triangulation
of \U0001D446\U0001D451 on which the map is defined, is exponential in size(\U0001D44B)
."
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Marek
full_name: Filakovský, Marek
id: 3E8AF77E-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Filakovský
- first_name: Peter
full_name: Franek, Peter
id: 473294AE-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Franek
orcid: 0000-0001-8878-8397
- first_name: Uli
full_name: Wagner, Uli
id: 36690CA2-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Wagner
orcid: 0000-0002-1494-0568
- first_name: Stephan Y
full_name: Zhechev, Stephan Y
id: 3AA52972-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Zhechev
citation:
ama: Filakovský M, Franek P, Wagner U, Zhechev SY. Computing simplicial representatives
of homotopy group elements. Journal of Applied and Computational Topology.
2018;2(3-4):177-231. doi:10.1007/s41468-018-0021-5
apa: Filakovský, M., Franek, P., Wagner, U., & Zhechev, S. Y. (2018). Computing
simplicial representatives of homotopy group elements. Journal of Applied and
Computational Topology. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41468-018-0021-5
chicago: Filakovský, Marek, Peter Franek, Uli Wagner, and Stephan Y Zhechev. “Computing
Simplicial Representatives of Homotopy Group Elements.” Journal of Applied
and Computational Topology. Springer, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41468-018-0021-5.
ieee: M. Filakovský, P. Franek, U. Wagner, and S. Y. Zhechev, “Computing simplicial
representatives of homotopy group elements,” Journal of Applied and Computational
Topology, vol. 2, no. 3–4. Springer, pp. 177–231, 2018.
ista: Filakovský M, Franek P, Wagner U, Zhechev SY. 2018. Computing simplicial representatives
of homotopy group elements. Journal of Applied and Computational Topology. 2(3–4),
177–231.
mla: Filakovský, Marek, et al. “Computing Simplicial Representatives of Homotopy
Group Elements.” Journal of Applied and Computational Topology, vol. 2,
no. 3–4, Springer, 2018, pp. 177–231, doi:10.1007/s41468-018-0021-5.
short: M. Filakovský, P. Franek, U. Wagner, S.Y. Zhechev, Journal of Applied and
Computational Topology 2 (2018) 177–231.
date_created: 2019-08-08T06:47:40Z
date_published: 2018-12-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2023-09-07T13:10:36Z
day: '01'
ddc:
- '514'
department:
- _id: UlWa
doi: 10.1007/s41468-018-0021-5
file:
- access_level: open_access
checksum: cf9e7fcd2a113dd4828774fc75cdb7e8
content_type: application/pdf
creator: dernst
date_created: 2019-08-08T06:55:21Z
date_updated: 2020-07-14T12:47:40Z
file_id: '6775'
file_name: 2018_JourAppliedComputTopology_Filakovsky.pdf
file_size: 1056278
relation: main_file
file_date_updated: 2020-07-14T12:47:40Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: ' 2'
issue: 3-4
language:
- iso: eng
month: '12'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
page: 177-231
project:
- _id: 25F8B9BC-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
call_identifier: FWF
grant_number: M01980
name: Robust invariants of Nonlinear Systems
- _id: 3AC91DDA-15DF-11EA-824D-93A3E7B544D1
call_identifier: FWF
name: FWF Open Access Fund
publication: Journal of Applied and Computational Topology
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 2367-1734
issn:
- 2367-1726
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer
quality_controlled: '1'
related_material:
record:
- id: '6681'
relation: dissertation_contains
status: public
status: public
title: Computing simplicial representatives of homotopy group elements
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 2
year: '2018'
...