Higher covering spaces in an $\infty$-topos
Abstract
We develop a systematic theory of -truncated maps, called -covering maps, in a fixed -topos , guided by the analogy with classical covering spaces. We prove an equivalence of -categories between -coverings over a pointed connected object and -actions of the fundamental -group on -truncated objects, which restricts to a classification of pointed connected -coverings in terms of sub--groups of . We study the -group of deck transformations , identifying it with -equivariant autoequivalences of the fiber . For normal -coverings, it is further described as a quotient of , yielding a classification of such coverings in terms of normal subgroups of . For an arbitrary -covering, the deck -group arises as a quotient of a suitable normalizer. Our approach relies on a careful study of -groups and their -actions, on the use of univalent universes, and on an internal Yoneda embedding. When and is the -category of homotopy types, our results recover the classical theory of covering spaces. We further illustrate the theory in sheaf and \'etale -topoi, where the external deck group recovers cohomology of the base, and in cohesive -topoi, where it recovers the -covering theory of manifolds.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2607.14773,
title = {Higher covering spaces in an $\infty$-topos},
author = {Virgile Constantin},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2607.14773},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
70 pages, comments welcome!