The transverse singular complex

Abstract

Let $M$ be a smooth manifold without boundary and let $\mathcal{T}$ be a countable collection of manifolds with corners, each equipped with a smooth map to $M$. We show that the singular simplicial set $\mathrm{Sing}(M)$ of $M$ deformation retracts onto the simplicial subset $\mathrm{Sing}^{\mathcal{T}}\!(M)$ of smooth singular simplices that are transverse to every element of $\mathcal{T}$.