We uncover a somewhat surprising connection between spaces of multiplicative maps between $A_\infty$-ring spectra and topological Hochschild cohomology. As a consequence we show that such spaces become infinite loop spaces after looping only once. We also prove that any multiplicative cohomology operation in complex cobordisms theory $MU$ canonically lifts to an $A_\infty$-map $MU\to MU$. This implies, in particular, that the Brown-Peterson spectrum $BP$ splits off $MU$ as an $A_\infty$-ring spectrum.
The paper is devoted to study the space of multiplicative maps from the Eilenberg-MacLane spectrum $H\Z$ to an arbitrary ring spectrum $R$. We try to generalize the approach of Schwede from "Formal groups and stable homotopy of commutative rings", where the special case of the mentioned above problem was solved in full generality. Among other results we propose a definition of a formal group law in any ring spectrum, which might be of interest in its own.
This is a survey paper on cohomology theories for $A_\infty$ and $E_\infty$ ring spectra. Different constructions and main properties of topological André-Quillen cohomology and of topological derivations are described. We give sample calculations of these cohomology theories and outline applications to the existence of $A_\infty$ and $E_\infty$ structures on various spectra. We also explain the relationship between topological derivations, spaces of multiplicative maps and moduli spaces of multiplicative structures.
We give a new construction of the algebraic $K$-theory of small permutative categories that preserves multiplicative structure, and therefore allows us to give a unified treatment of rings, modules, and algebras in both the input and output. This requires us to define multiplicative structure on the category of small permutative categories. The framework we use is the concept of multicategory, a generalization of symmetric monoidal category that precisely captures the multiplicative structure we have present at all stages of the construction. Our method ends up in Smith's category of symmetric…
This paper describes an issue that arises when inverting elements of the homotopy groups of an equivariant commutative ring. Equivariant commutative rings possess an enhanced multiplicative structure arising from the presence of "indexed products" (products indexed by a set with a non-trivial action of the group). The formation of the "multiplicative closure" of a set must be altered in order to accomodate this structure, and the result of localizing an equivariant commutative ring can have an unexpected homotopy type.
We identify a regularity property for structured ring spectra, and with it we prove a natural analogue of Quillen's localization theorem for algebraic K-theory in this setting.
Using an analogy between the Brauer groups in algebra and the Whitehead groups in topology, we first use methods of algebraic K-theory to give a natural definition of Brauer spectra for commutative rings, such that their homotopy groups are given by the Brauer group, the Picard group and the group of units. Then, in the context of structured ring spectra, the same idea leads to two-fold non-connected deloopings of the spectra of units.
Let $Q$ denote MacLane's $Q$-construction, and $\otimes$ denote the smash product of spectra. In this paper we construct an equivalence $Q(R)\simeq \mathbb Z\otimes R$ in the category of $A_\infty$ ring spectra for any ring $R$, thus proving a conjecture made by Fiedorowicz, Schwänzl, Vogt and Waldhausen in "MacLane homology and topological Hochschild homology". More precisely, we construct is a symmetric monoidal structure on $Q$ (in the $\infty$-categorical sense) extending the usual monoidal structure, for which we prove an equivalence $Q(-)\simeq \mathbb Z\otimes -$ as symmetric monoidal f…
Making use of the theory of noncommutative motives, we characterize the topological Dennis trace map as the unique multiplicative natural transformation from algebraic K-theory to topological Hochschild homology (THH) and the cyclotomic trace map as the unique multiplicative lift through topological cyclic homology (TC). Moreover, we prove that the space of all multiplicative structures on algebraic K-theory is contractible. We also show that the algebraic K-theory functor from small stable infinity categories to spectra is lax symmetric monoidal, which in particular implies that E_n ring spec…
We establish a canonical and unique tensor product for commutative monoids and groups in an infinity-category C which generalizes the ordinary tensor product of abelian groups. Using this tensor product we show that E_n-(semi)ring objects in C give rise to E_n-ring spectrum objects in C. In the case that C is the infinity-category of spaces this produces a multiplicative infinite loop space machine which can be applied to the algebraic K-theory of rings and ring spectra. The main tool we use to establish these results is the theory of smashing localizations of presentable infinity-categories. …
We show that the topological Hochschild homology THH(R of an E_n-ring spectrum R is an E_{n-1}-ring spectrum. The proof is based on the fact that the tensor product of the operad Ass for monoid structures and the the little n-cubes operad is an E_{n+1}-operad, a result which is of independent interest.
In order to treat multiplicative phenomena in twisted (co)homology, we introduce a new point-set level framework for parametrized homotopy theory. We provide a convolution smash product that descends to the corresponding infinity-categorical product and allows for convenient constructions of commutative parametrized ring spectra. As an immediate application, we compare various models for generalized Thom spectra. In a companion paper, this approach is used to compare homotopical and operator algebraic models for twisted K-theory.
In this paper, we establish a multiplicative equivalence between two multiplicative algebraic $K$-theory constructions, Elmendorf and Mandell's version of Segal's $K$-theory and Blumberg and Mandell's version of Waldhausen's $S_\bullet$ construction. This equivalence implies that the ring spectra, algebra spectra, and module spectra constructed via these two classical algebraic $K$-theory functors are equivalent as ring, algebra or module spectra, respectively. It also allows for comparisions of spectrally enriched categories constructed via these definitions of $K$-theory. As both the Elmendo…
In the first part of the paper we construct a ring structure on the rational cobordism classes of Morin maps (i. e. smooth generic maps of corank 1). We show that associating to a Morin map its singular strata defines a ring homomorphism to $Ω_* \otimes \Q$, the rational oriented cobordism ring. This is proved by analyzing multiple-point sets of product immersion. Using these homomorphisms we are able to identify the ring of Morin maps. In the second part of the paper we compute the oriented Thom polynomial of the $Σ^2$ singularity type with $\Q$ coefficients. Then we provide a product formula…
We classify the primitive idempotents of the $p$-local complex representation ring of a finite group $G$ in terms of the cyclic subgroups of order prime to $p$ and show that they all come from idempotents of the Burnside ring. Our results hold without adjoining roots of unity or inverting the order of $G$, thus extending classical structure theorems. We then derive explicit group-theoretic obstructions for tensor induction to be compatible with the resulting idempotent splitting of the representation ring Mackey functor. Our main motivation is an application in homotopy theory: we conclude tha…
We construct an explicit de Rham isomorphism relating the cohomology rings of Banagl's de Rham and spatial approach to intersection space cohomology for stratified pseudomanifolds with isolated singularities. Intersection space (co-)homology is a modified (co-)homology theory extending Poincaré Duality to stratified pseudomanifolds. The novelty of our result compared to the de Rham isomorphism given previously by Banagl is, that we indeed have an isomorphism of rings and not just of graded vector spaces. We also provide a proof of the de Rham Theorem for cohomology rings of pairs of smooth man…
The aim of this short paper is to prove a TQ-Whitehead theorem for nilpotent structured ring spectra. We work in the framework of symmetric spectra and algebras over operads in modules over a commutative ring spectrum. Our main result can be thought of as a TQ-homology analog for structured ring spectra of Dror's generalized Whitehead theorem for topological spaces; here TQ-homology is short for topological Quillen homology. We also prove retract theorems for the TQ-completion and homotopy completion of nilpotent structured ring spectra.
Working in the context of symmetric spectra, we prove higher homotopy excision and higher Blakers-Massey theorems, and their duals, for algebras and left modules over operads in the category of modules over a commutative ring spectrum (e.g., structured ring spectra).
The aim of this paper is to show that homotopy pro-nilpotent structured ring spectra are TQ-local, where structured ring spectra are described as algebras over a spectral operad O. Here, TQ is short for topological Quillen homology, which is weakly equivalent to O-algebra stabilization. An O-algebra is called homotopy pro-nilpotent if it is equivalent to a limit of nilpotent O-algebras. Our result provides new positive evidence to a conjecture by Francis-Gaisgory on Koszul duality for general operads. As an application, we simultaneously extend the previously known 0-connected and nilpotent TQ…
We use the multiplicative structure of the Koszul resolution to give short and simple proofs of some known estimates for the total dimension of the cohomology of spaces which admit free torus actions and analogous results for filtered differential modules over polynomial rings. We also point out the possibility of improving these results in the presence of a multiplicative structure on the so-called minimal Hirsch-Brown model for the equivariant cohomology of the space.
We combine Lurie's generalization of the Hopkins-Miller theorem with work of Zink-Lau on displays to give a functorial construction of even-periodic commutative ring spectra, concentrated in chromatic layers 2 and above, associated to certain n by n invertible matrices with coefficients in Witt rings. This is applied to examples related to Lubin-Tate and Johnson-Wilson spectra. We also give a Hopf algebroid presentation of the moduli of p-divisible groups of height greater than or equal to 2.
Ramification for commutative ring spectra can be detected by relative topological Hochschild homology and by topological André-Quillen homology. In the classical algebraic context it is important to distinguish between tame and wild ramification. Noether's theorem characterizes tame ramification in terms of a normal basis and tame ramification can also be detected via the surjectivity of the trace map. We transfer the latter fact to ring spectra and use the Tate cohomology spectrum to detect wild ramification in the context of commutative ring spectra. We study ramification in examples in the …
Let $M^n$ be a closed, connected $n$-manifold. Let $\mtm$ denote the Thom spectrum of its stable normal bundle. A well known theorem of Atiyah states that $\mtm$ is homotopy equivalent to the Spanier-Whitehead dual of $M$ with a disjoint basepoint, $M_+$. This dual can be viewed as the function spectrum, $F(M, S)$, where $S$ is the sphere spectrum. $F(M, S)$ has the structure of a commutative, symmetric ring spectrum in the sense of \cite{hss}, \cite{ship}. In this paper we prove that $\mtm$ also has a natural, geometrically defined, structure of a commutative, symmetric ring spectrum, in such…
Pursuing ideas of Jeff Smith, we develop a homotopy theory of ideals of monoids in a symmetric monoidal model category. This includes Smith ideals of structured ring spectra and of differential graded algebras. Such Smith ideals are NOT subobjects, and as a result the theory seems to require us to consider all Smith ideals of all monoids simultaneously, rather then restricting to the Smith ideals of one particular monoid. However, we can take a quotient by a Smith ideal and get a monoid homomorphism. In the stable case, we show that this construction is part of a Quillen equivalence between a …
We show that the homotopy groups of a connective $E_k$-ring spectrum with an $E_k$-cell attached along a class $α$ in degree $n$ are isomorphic to the homotopy groups of the cofiber of the self-map associated to $α$ through degree $2n$. Using this, we prove that the $2n-1^{st}$ homotopy groups of Ravenel's $X(n)$ spectra are cyclic for all $n$. This further implies that, after localizing at a prime, $X(n+1)$ is homotopically unique as the $E_1$-$X(n)$-algebra with homotopy groups in degree $2n-1$ killed by an $E_1$-cell. Lastly, we prove analogous theorems for a sequence of $E_k$-ring Thom spe…
For an equivariant commutative ring spectrum $R$, $π_0 R$ has algebraic structure reflecting the presence of both additive transfers and multiplicative norms. The additive structure gives rise to a Mackey functor and the multiplicative structure yields the additional structure of a Tambara functor. If $R$ is an $N_\infty$ ring spectrum in the category of genuine $G$-spectra, then all possible additive transfers are present and $π_0 R$ has the structure of an incomplete Tambara functor. However, if $R$ is an $N_\infty$ ring spectrum in a category of incomplete $G$-spectra, the situation is more…
We prove a multiplicative version of the equivariant Barratt-Priddy-Quillen theorem, starting from the additive version proven in arXiv:1207.3459. The proof uses a multiplicative elaboration of an additive equivariant infinite loop space machine that manufactures orthogonal $G$-spectra from symmetric monoidal $G$-categories. The new machine produces highly structured associative ring and module $G$-spectra from appropriate multiplicative input. It relies on new operadic multicategories that are of considerable independent interest and are defined in a general, not necessarily equivariant or to…
We use the abstract framework constructed in our earlier paper to study local duality for Noetherian $\mathbb{E}_{\infty}$-ring spectra. In particular, we compute the local cohomology of relative dualizing modules for finite morphisms of ring spectra, thereby generalizing the local duality theorem of Benson and Greenlees. We then explain how our results apply to the modular representation theory of compact Lie groups and finite group schemes, which recovers the theory previously developed by Benson, Iyengar, Krause, and Pevtsova.
The aim of this paper is three-fold: (i) we construct a naturally occurring highly homotopy coherent operad structure on the derivatives of the identity functor on structured ring spectra which can be described as algebras over an operad $\mathcal{O}$ in spectra, (ii) we prove that every connected $\mathcal{O}$-algebra has a naturally occurring left action of the derivatives of the identity, and (iii) we show that there is a naturally occurring weak equivalence of highly homotopy coherent operads between the derivatives of the identity on $\mathcal{O}$-algebras and the operad $\mathcal{O}$. Al…
We construct commutative algebra spectra that represent the operator $K$-theory of $C^*$-algebras, which are algebras over the commutative ring spectra that represent topological $K$-theory. The spectral multiplicative structure introduces a new graded commutative ring structure on the $K$-groups, generalizing the well-known graded ring structure of commutative $C^*$-algebras. This last structure reflects the multiplicative structure of topological $K$-theory via Gelfand duality, Swan's theorem and the fiber tensor product. We introduce $\mathscr L$-permutative categories, a generalization of …
We propose topological Hochschild homology as a tool for measuring ramification of maps of structured ring spectra. We determine second order topological Hochschild homology of the $p$-local integers. For the tamely ramified extension of the map from the connective Adams summand to $p$-local complex topological K-theory we determine the relative topological Hochschild homology and show that it detects the tame ramification of this extension. We also determine relative topological Hochschild homology for the complexification map from connective real to complex topological K-theory and for some …
We survey and extend the theory of Tambara functors. These are algebraic structures similar to Mackey functors, but with multiplicative norm maps as well as additive transfer maps, and a rule governing their interaction that is most easily formulated in an abstract categorical framework. Examples include Burnside rings, representation rings, and homotopy groups of equivariant E-infinity ring spectra in stable homotopy theory. Some other examples are related to Witt rings in the sense of Dress and Siebeneicher.
In this article, we study the cohomology ring of real moment-angle complexes over a simplicial complex $K$. Combinatorial generators for the cohomology can be given in terms of $K$. For $K$ the boundary of an $n$-gon, we give a full description of the multiplicative structure of the cohomology ring in terms of the combinatorial generators. As a consequence, it is evident that these generators do not form a symplectic basis, unlike the case for moment-angle complexes.
We investigate the integral cohomology ring and the Chow ring of the classifying space of the complex projective linear group PGL_p, when p is an odd prime. In particular, we determine its additive structure completely, and we reduce the problem of determing its multiplicative structure to a problem in invariant theory.
Equipping a non-equivariant topological E_\infty operad with the trivial G-action gives an operad in G-spaces. The algebra structure encoded by this operad in G-spectra is characterised homotopically by having no non-trivial multiplicative norms. Algebras over this operad are called naive-commutative ring G-spectra. In this paper we let G be a finite group and we show that commutative algebras in the algebraic model for rational G-spectra model the rational naive-commutative ring G-spectra.
This is an expository article about power operations and their connection with the study of highly structured ring spectra. In particular, we discuss Dyer-Lashof operations and their evolving role in the study of iterated loop spaces, $E_n$-algebras, and $E_n$-ring spectra. We will make use of these operations to show that structured ring spectra are heavily constrained. We also discuss some ongoing directions for study. This is a preliminary version of a chapter written for the Handbook of Homotopy Theory.
It is well known that the zeroth stable homotopy group of a genuine equivariant commutative ring spectrum has multiplicative transfers (norms), making it into a Tambara functor. We prove here that all Tambara functors can be obtained in this way. In fact, we prove that the homotopy category of Eilenberg MacLane commutative ring spectra is equivalent to the category of Tambara functors. Several algebraic results on Tambara functors are derived as corollaries. Finally, we rule out the existence of a lax symmetric monoidal construction for Eilenberg MacLane spectra when the group is nontrivial.
We give a simple sufficient condition for Quinn's "bordism-type spectra" to be weakly equivalent to strictly associative ring spectra. We also show that Poincare bordism and symmetric L-theory are naturally weakly equivalent to monoidal functors. Part of the proof of these statements involves showing that Quinn's functor from bordism-type theories to spectra lifts to the category of symmetric spectra. We also give a new account of the foundations.
