Fundamental group determines fundamental groupoid

algebraic-topologyfundamental-groups

If $X$ and $Y$ are path-connected topological spaces such that the fundamental group of $X$ is isomorphic to the fundamental group of $Y$, does it follow that the fundamental groupoid of $X$ is isomorphic or equivalent to the fundamental groupoid of $Y$?

Best Answer

They are equivalent, but do not need to be isomorphic, as pointed out by Mark Saving in the comments.

Let $x_0 \in X$ be the basepoint. Since $X$ is path-connected, there exists an equivalence of the delooping of $\pi_1(X,x_0)$ to the fundamental groupoid $\Pi_1(X)$. The delooping of $\pi_1(X,x_0)$ can be seen as the full subgroupoid of $\Pi_1(X)$ with the only object $x_0$. This is sometimes denoted as $\Pi_1(X,x_0)$.

An equivalence $F:\Pi_1(X) \to \Pi_1(X,x_0)$ corresponds to the choice of a morphisms $\eta_x \in \mathrm{Hom}_{\Pi_1(X)}(x_0, x)$ for each $x \in X$.