Definable Obstruction Theory

Abstract

A series of recent papers by Bergfalk, Lupini and Panagiotopoulus developed the foundations of a field known as `definable algebraic topology,' in which classical cohomological invariants are enriched by viewing them as groups with a Polish cover. This allows one to apply techniques from descriptive set theory to the study of cohomology theories. In this paper, we will establish a `definable' version of a classical theorem from obstruction theory, and use this to study the potential complexity of the homotopy relation on the space of continuous maps $C(X,|K|)$, where $X$ is a locally compact Polish space, and K is a locally finite countable simplicial complex. We will also characterize the Solecki Groups of the Cech cohomology of X, which are the canonical chain of subgroups with a Polish cover that are least among those of a given complexity.