Let be the rationalized universal class of degree . The rational cohomology of an integral Eilenberg–MacLane space is
Here is an exterior algebra. For , . The standard path-loop spectral-sequence calculation supplies the induction: in
the total space is contractible and the fundamental fiber class transgresses to . An odd exterior fiber generator gives an even polynomial base generator. An even polynomial fiber generator gives an odd exterior base generator; the differential on its th power has coefficient , which is invertible over . The multiplicative spectral sequence then has no remaining positive-degree classes in the total space. This is the rational transgression calculation for Eilenberg–MacLane spaces; it includes the absence of additional base generators.
For , choose representing the integral fundamental class. The ring calculation shows that this map is a rational homology equivalence: both spaces have rational cohomology only in degrees zero and . The rational Whitehead theorem for simply connected spaces identifies their rational homotopy groups. Since the target has only , the rational homotopy groups of a sphere in odd dimension are
For , this follows directly from and the contractible universal cover of the circle, which makes every higher homotopy group zero.
Let , with the standard complex orientations. It is simply connected by the Seifert-van Kampen theorem applied to the punctured summands. Classes can be chosen from the two summands. Their cross product vanishes, while their squares equal the oriented top class:
Thus the cohomology ring of the connected sum of two complex projective planes is
The two relations also kill all cubic monomials, so its dimensions are in degrees and zero otherwise.
We use the Sullivan minimal model dictionary: for a simply connected finite-type space, the dual of its degree- generator space is . The following free graded-commutative differential algebra is the Sullivan model of the connected sum of two complex projective planes:
It is minimal because all differentials of generators are decomposable.
To verify that no further generators are required, observe that is a regular sequence in . The first polynomial is a nonzerodivisor. If is divisible by , restricting to each coordinate axis forces to vanish on both axes, hence to be divisible by . The second polynomial is therefore a nonzerodivisor modulo the first. The Koszul complex of this regular sequence is exactly , so its cohomology is the quotient ring above, with no additional odd cohomology.
For completeness, choose rational polynomial forms representing on . Their product and the difference of their squares are exact; choose degree-three primitives for them. Sending to those primitives defines a differential-algebra map from to the rational polynomial forms on . It induces the specified cohomology-ring isomorphism and hence is a quasi-isomorphism. This verifies the model directly, rather than assuming that a cohomology presentation alone automatically determines all rational homotopy.
The model has exactly two degree-two and two degree-three generators. Consequently the rational homotopy groups of the connected sum of two complex projective planes are
For a cohomological spectral sequence, and the next page is its cohomology. In the bounded setting, convergence of a spectral sequence to means that each has a finite decreasing, exhaustive and separated filtration with
Here is the eventual stable value. This determines the associated graded module of , rather than automatically a canonical direct-sum decomposition of . For unbounded filtrations additional completeness/convergence conditions are necessary; boundedness removes those issues here.
The bounded filtered-complex convergence theorem states the following. If is a decreasing filtration by cochain subcomplexes, preserved by the differential, finite in each cochain degree (uniform bounds , are sufficient), then there is a spectral sequence
The abutment filtration is . Its finite length ensures stabilization and the displayed limiting-page identification. The filtered cochain complex need not itself be bounded in cochain degree. In the degreewise finite version, the bounds in degrees suffice to stabilize the terms of total degree .
For a double cochain complex bounded in both indices, form the total cochain complex with anticommuting differentials and total differential . If the original differentials commute, inserting the usual sign in one of them gives this convention. Filtering by the first index gives and then . Filtering by the second index gives the spectral sequence taking horizontal cohomology first and vertical cohomology next. Both filtrations are finite, so both converge to . This is the two spectral sequences of a bounded double complex construction.
The printed left/left tensor expression needs a handedness repair. Over an arbitrary ring, a tensor product of modules over pairs a right module with a left module. To retain the order of the printed formula, take to be a bounded cochain complex of projective right -modules and a left -module. Alternatively, keep left, take right, and write and . For a commutative ring no repair is needed. We prove the first, correctly typed formulation.
Finite projective dimension gives a finite projective resolution by left modules. Form for . On take and . These anticommute, and the double cochain complex is bounded in both directions. Projective modules are flat modules, so taking vertical cohomology first gives
The first identification uses flatness of ; the second is the Tor functor computed by resolving its left-module argument . Balancedness of the Tor functor allows either correctly sided projective resolution to compute it, by the double-resolution argument.
Taking horizontal cohomology first instead uses flatness of . The resolution then leaves only in column . Its remaining differential is , so the augmentation is a quasi-isomorphism. Apply the convergence theorem to this underlying abelian-group double complex. The two spectral sequences therefore prove the Künneth spectral sequence:
These are abelian groups in general; an extra module structure requires appropriate bimodule hypotheses. The index is nonpositive, so is the nonnegative homological index of the Tor functor.
Finally write the cycle modules as and the boundary modules as . If every boundary module is projective, the short exact sequence splits. Thus is projective. The short exact sequence is now a length-one projective resolution, so for . The page occupies only columns . Every for goes columns to the right, hence has zero source or zero target. Therefore
This two-column degeneration of a Künneth spectral sequence gives the edge short exact sequences
Degeneration itself does not supply a canonical splitting. Projective boundaries also do not force to be projective: a complex with differential multiplication by over has projective boundary but a cohomology group.
Use homological grading , with zero terms below degree zero. In the projective model structure on nonnegative chain complexes, the classes are:
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 are
Each 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 map
is 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 gives
Concretely, 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.
The model category of nonnegative complexes of left modules has quasi-isomorphisms as model weak equivalences, positive-degree surjections as model fibrations, and degreewise injections with projective cokernel as model cofibrations. All objects are fibrant; cofibrant objects are degreewise projective.
For central elements, each multiplication map on the preceding quotient must be injective; a usual convention also requires the final quotient to be nonzero. The augmented Koszul complex on central ring elements tensored with is then a quasi-isomorphism to the final quotient in degree zero.
Sullivan minimal model 2026-10-06
A free graded-commutative rational differential graded algebra with decomposable differentials and a quasi-isomorphism to the rational polynomial forms of a space. For simply connected finite-type spaces, is dual to . A proposed finite model must have its cohomology and representing quasi-isomorphism checked; matching a list of relations alone is insufficient.
The two quadratic relations form a regular sequence in , so their Koszul complex has only the quotient-ring cohomology. Represent the two degree-two classes by rational polynomial forms and choose primitives for the exact relations to obtain a quasi-isomorphism. There are no further generators.