A map that is both a model fibration and a quasi-isomorphism. The homology isomorphism together with degree-one surjectivity forces surjectivity in degree zero. Equivalently it has the right lifting property against the generating cofibrations for nonnegative chain complexes.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 4 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use homological grading , with zero terms below degree zero. In the projective model structure on nonnegative chain complexes, the classes are:
- Model weak equivalences are quasi-isomorphisms, inducing isomorphisms on every .
- Model fibrations are maps surjective in every strictly positive degree ; surjectivity in degree zero is not part of this definition.
- Model cofibrations are degreewise injections with projective cokernel in every degree. The underlying module injections then split degreewise, although these splittings need not commute with the differential.
Thus a cofibrant complex has a projective module in each degree, and every object is fibrant. An projective acyclic fibration is equivalently a degreewise surjective quasi-isomorphism, including degree zero. To see the degree-zero assertion, lift a degree-zero homology class using the homology isomorphism, then lift the boundary discrepancy using surjectivity in degree one. Conversely a degreewise surjective quasi-isomorphism has the requisite positive-degree surjections.
Let be the sphere chain complex with in degree and zero elsewhere. Let , for , be the disk chain complex with in degrees and identity differential. The generating cofibrations for nonnegative chain complexes areEach is a model cofibration: its degreewise cokernel is a copy of in one degree. The extra degree-zero generator must not be omitted.
Here is the lifting characterization of an acyclic chain-complex fibration. A right lifting property for says that whenever and satisfy , there is with and . The generator says that is surjective. For a degreewise surjective quasi-isomorphism, its kernel is acyclic by the long exact sequence in homology. Choose a preliminary lift of . Then is a cycle in the kernel; subtract an element of the kernel whose boundary is this cycle. This gives the required .
Conversely the lifting conditions make the kernel acyclic: take and any kernel cycle . They also imply degreewise surjectivity inductively. Having surjectivity below degree , lift to an element of , correct its boundary within the acyclic kernel to make it a cycle, and apply the lifting condition to lift . For the chosen degree-zero element is already a cycle. A degreewise surjective map with acyclic kernel is a quasi-isomorphism by the long exact sequence in homology. Hence -injectives are exactly acyclic fibrations.
An object is sequentially small if for every sequential diagram , the natural mapis bijective. Surjectivity says that a map out of factors through a finite stage; injectivity says that two such maps agreeing in the colimit agree at a later finite stage. The relative version restricts to the stated class of sequential diagrams. The domains in have this property: maps from are cycles in one degree, and filtered colimits commute with these finite equations. Their sequential smallness is also permitted by the hint.
Apply the small object argument to the map . Put , . Given , take the set of all commutative squares with a generator on the left and on the right. Form the pushout of the coproduct of all these along their maps into , obtaining . Each bottom map induces the compatible map . Repeat for all , and set . This givesConcretely, attaching adds a free generator in degree whose boundary is the chosen existing cycle; attaching adds a free degree-zero generator. Thus is an injection, and its cokernel in each degree is free on the newly attached generators. It is therefore a model cofibration; this also illustrates the relative cell complex description of the left factor.
For a lifting square into , sequential smallness of its domain factors the top map through some . The commutativity is already an equality in , so this is one of the squares attached at stage . Its new cell supplies a lift . Hence has the right lifting property with respect to every element of , and is an projective acyclic fibration. Every map has the required cofibration–acyclic-fibration factorization. Only the domains need sequential smallness; there is no requirement that , or the coproduct of all cells be small.