The $p$-local homotopy types of gauge groups of principal $G$-bundles over $S^4$ are classified when $G$ is a compact connected exceptional Lie group without $p$-torsion in homology except for $(G,p)=(mathrm{E}_7,5)$.
Let $G$ be a compact connected Lie group with $pi_1(G)congmathbb{Z}$. We study the homotopy types of gauge groups of principal $G$-bundles over Riemann surfaces. This can be applied to an explicit computation of the homotopy groups of the moduli spaces of stable vector bundles over Riemann surfaces.
The first aim of this paper is to study the $p$-local higher homotopy commutativity of Lie groups in the sense of Sugawara. The second aim is to apply this result to the $p$-local higher homotopy commutativity of gauge groups. Although the higher homotopy commutativity of Lie groups in the sense of Williams is already known, the higher homotopy commutativity in the sense of Sugawara is necessary for this application. The third aim is to resolve the $5$-local higher homotopy non-commutativity problem of the exceptional Lie group $mathrm{G}_2$, which has been open for a long time.
Let $M$ be an orientable, simply-connected, closed, non-spin 4-manifold and let $mathcal{G}_k(M)$ be the gauge group of the principal $G$-bundle over $M$ with second Chern class $kinmathbb{Z}$. It is known that the homotopy type of $mathcal{G}_k(M)$ is determined by the homotopy type of $mathcal{G}_k(mathbb{CP}^2)$. In this paper we investigate properties of $mathcal{G}_k(mathbb{CP}^2)$ when $G = SU(n)$ that partly classify the homotopy types of the gauge groups.
Let $G$ be a simply-connected simple compact Lie group and let $M$ be an orientable smooth closed 4-manifold. In this paper we calculate the homotopy type of the suspension of $M$ and the homotopy types of the gauge groups of principal $G$-bundles over $M$ when $pi_1(M)$ is: (1)~$mathbb{Z}^{*m}$, (2)~$mathbb{Z}/p^rmathbb{Z}$, or (3)~$mathbb{Z}^{*m}*(*^n_{j=1}mathbb{Z}/p_j^{r_j}mathbb{Z})$, where $p$ and the $p_j$s are odd primes.
We determine the number of distinct fibre homotopy types for the gauge groups of principal $Sp(2)$-bundles over a closed, simply-connected four-manifold.