The algebra S of symmetric invariants over the field with two elements is an unstable algebra over the Steenrod algebra A, and is isomorphic to the mod two cohomology of BO, the classifying space for vector bundles. We provide a minimal presentation for S in the category of unstable A-algebras, i.e., minimal generators and minimal relations.
From this we produce minimal presentations for various unstable A-algebras associated with the cohomology of related spaces, such as the BO(2^m-1) that classify finite dimensional vector bundles, and the connected covers of BO. The presentations then show that certain of these unstable A-algebras coalesce to produce the Dickson algebras of general linear group invariants, and we speculate about possible related topological realizability.
Our methods also produce a related simple minimal A-module presentation of the cohomology of infinite dimensional real projective space, with filtered quotients the unstable modules F(2^p-1)/A bar{A}_{p-2}, as described in an independent appendix.
Working over the prime field F_p, the structure of the indecomposables Q^* for the action of the algebra of Steenrod reduced powers A(p) on the symmetric power functors S^* is studied by exploiting the theory of strict polynomial functors. In particular, working at the prime 2, representation stability is exhibited for certain related functors, leading to a conjectural representation stability description of quotients of Q^* arising from the polynomial filtration of symmetric powers.
Steenrod defined in 1947 the Steenrod squares on the mod 2 cohomology of spaces using explicit cochain formulae for the cup-$i$ products; a family of coherent homotopies derived from the broken symmetry of Alexander--Whitney's chain approximation to the diagonal. He later defined his homonymous operations for all primes using the homology of symmetric groups. This approach enhanced the conceptual understanding of the operations and allowed for many advances, but lacked the concreteness of their definition at the even prime. In recent years, thanks to the development of new applications of coho…
In this article we construct Symmetric operations for all primes (previously known only for p=2). These unstable operations are more subtle than the Landweber-Novikov operations, and encode all p-primary divisibilities of characteristic numbers. Thus, taken together (for all primes) they plug the gap left by the Hurewitz map L ---> Z[b_1,b_2,...], providing an important structure on Algebraic Cobordism. Applications include: questions of rationality of Chow group elements - see [11], and the structure of the Graded Algebraic Cobordism. We also construct Steenrod operations of T.tom Dieck-style…
We use the Steenrod algebra to study $CH^*BG$, the mod $p$ Chow ring of the classifying space of $G$. We describe a localization property which relates a given $G$ to its elementary abelian subgroups, and we study a number of particular cases, namely symmetric groups and Chevalley groups. It turns out that the Chow rings of these groups are completely determined by the abelian subgroups and their fusion.
We introduce a new model for the secondary Steenrod algebra at the prime 2 which is both smaller and more accessible than the original construction of H.-J. Baues. We also explain how BP can be used to define a variant of the secondary Steenrod algebra at odd primes.
In 1947, N.E. Steenrod defined the Steenrod Squares, which are mod 2 cohomology operations, using explicit cochain formulae for cup-i products of cocycles. He later recast the construction in more general homological terms, using group homology and acyclic model methods, rather than explicit cochain formulae, to define mod p operations for all primes p. Steenrod's student J. Adem applied the homological point of view to prove fundamental relations, known as the Adem relations, in the algebra of cohomology operations generated by the Steenrod operations. In this paper we give a proof of the mod…
The aim of this paper is to study sub-algebras of the $\mathbb{Z}/2$-equivariant Steenrod algebra (for cohomology with coefficients in the constant Mackey functor $\mathbb{F}_2$) which come from quotient Hopf algebroids of the $\mathbb{Z}/2$-equivariant dual Steenrod algebra. In particular, we study the equivariant counterpart of profile functions, exhibit the equivariant analogues of the classical $\mathcal{A}(n)$ and $\mathcal{E}(n)$ and show that the Steenrod algebra is free as a module over these.
A non-connected neither of finite type Hopf algebra $\mathcal{F}_{0}$ is defined over $\mathbb{Z}/ 2\mathbb{Z}$ and its hom dual turns out to be a tensor product of polynomial algebras. Certain quotient Hopf algebras include the Steenrod and Dyer-Lashof algebras. This setting provides a map between the Steenrod coalgebra and a direct limit of Dyer-Lashof coalgebras.
The relations of Barratt and Miller are shown to include all relations among the elements $P^iχP^{n-i}$ in the mod $p$ Steenrod algebra, and a minimal set of relations is given.
We describe algebraic obstruction theories for realizing an abstract coalgebra K_* over the mod p Steenrod algebra as the homology of a topological space, and for distinguishing between the p-homotopy types of different realizations. The theories are expressed in terms of the Quillen cohomology of K_*.
We compute the action of the Steenrod algebra on generators of algebras of invariants of special linear group ${SL_n=SL(n,\mathbb Z/p)}$ in the polynomial algebra with $ p$ an odd prime number.
A minimal resolution of the mod 2 Steenrod algebra in the range $0 \leq s \leq 128$, $0 \leq t \leq 200$, together with chain maps for each cocycle in that range and for the squaring operation $Sq^0$ in the cohomology of the Steenrod algebra.
We compute the $C_p$-equivariant dual Steenrod algebras associated to the constant Mackey functors $\underline{\mathbb{F}}_p$ and $\underline{\mathbb{Z}}_{(p)}$, as $\underline{\mathbb{Z}}_{(p)}$-modules. The $C_p$-spectrum $\underline{\mathbb{F}}_p \otimes \underline{\mathbb{F}}_p$ is not a direct sum of $RO(C_p)$-graded suspensions of $\underline{\mathbb{F}}_p$ when $p$ is odd, in contrast with the classical and $C_2$-equivariant dual Steenrod algebras.
The Singer transfer provides an interesting connection between modular representation theory and the cohomology of the Steenrod algebra. We discuss a version of `Quillen stratification' theorem for the Singer transfer and its consequences.
We compute the action of the primitive Steenrod-Milnor operations on generators of algebras of invariants of subgroups of general linear group GL_n=GL(n,F_p) in the polynomial algebra with p an odd prime number.
We compute the cotorsion product of the mod 2 cohomology of spinor group spin(n), which is the E_2-term of the Rothenberg-Steenrod spectral sequence for the mod 2 cohomology of the classifying space of the spinor group spin(n). As a consequence of this computation, we show the non-collapsing of the Rothenberg-Steenrod spectral sequence for n > 16.
In this note, we study some properties of the filtration of the Steenrod algebra defined from the excess of admissible monomials. We give several conditions on a cocommutative graded Hopf algebra A^* which enable us to develop the theory of unstable A^*-modules.
The study of the action of the Steenrod algebra on the mod $p$ cohomology of spaces has many applications to the topological structure of those spaces. In this paper we present combinatorial formulas for the action of Steenrod operations on the cohomology of Grassmannians, both in the Borel and the Schubert picture. We consider integral lifts of Steenrod operations, which lie in a certain Hopf algebra of differential operators. The latter has been considered recently as a realization of the Landweber-Novikov algebra in complex cobordism theory; it also has connections with the action of the Vi…
The Joker is an important finite cyclic module over the mod-$2$ Steenrod algebra $\mathcal A$. We show that the Joker, its first two iterated Steenrod doubles, and their linear duals are realizable by spaces of as low a dimension as the instability condition of modules over the Steenrod algebra permits. This continues and concludes prior work by the first author and yields a complete characterization of which versions of Jokers are realizable by spaces or spectra and which are not. The constructions involve sporadic phenomena in homotopy theory ($2$-compact groups, topological modular forms) a…
We show that the Rothenberg--Steenrod spectral sequence converging to the mod 3 cohomology of the classifying space of the exceptional Lie group E_8 does not collapse at the E_2-level.
A new and natural description of the category of unstable modules over the Steenrod algebra as a category of comodules over a bialgebra is given; the theory extends and unifies the work of Carlsson, Kuhn, Lannes, Miller, Schwartz, Zarati and others. Related categories of comodules are studied, which shed light upon the structure of the category of unstable modules at odd primes. In particular, a category of bigraded unstable modules is introduced; this is related to the study of modules over the motivic Steenrod algebra.
It has long been envisioned that the strength of the barcode invariant of filtered cellular complexes could be increased using cohomology operations. Leveraging recent advances in the computation of Steenrod squares, we introduce a new family of computable invariants on mod 2 persistent cohomology termed $Sq^k$-barcodes. We present a complete algorithmic pipeline for their computation and illustrate their real-world applicability using the space of conformations of the cyclo-octane molecule.
We study criteria for freeness and for the existence of a vanishing line for modules over certain Hopf subalgebras of the motivic Steenrod algebra over $\mathrm{Spec}(\mathbb{C})$ at the prime 2. These turn out to be determined by the vanishing of certain Margolis homology groups in the quotient Hopf algebra $\mathcal{A}/τ$.
We compute the mod-2 cohomology of the collection of all symmetric groups as a Hopf ring, where the second product is the transfer product of Strickland and Turner. We first give examples of related Hopf rings from invariant theory and representation theory. In addition to a Hopf ring presentation, we give geometric cocycle representatives and explicitly determine the structure as an algebra over the Steenrod algebra. All calculations are explicit, with an additive basis which has a clean graphical representation. We also briefly develop related Hopf ring structures on rings of symmetric invar…
Mahowald's conjecture arose as part of a program attempting to view chromatic phenomena in stable homotopy theory through the lens of the classical Adams spectral sequence. The conjecture predicts the existence of nonzero classes in the cohomology of the finite sub-Hopf algebras $A(n)$ of the mod 2 Steenrod algebra that correspond to generators in the homotopy rings of certain periodic spectra. The purpose of this note is to present a proof of the conjecture.
Let $p$ be an odd prime number. We study the problem of determining the module structure over the mod $p$ Steenrod algebra $\mathcal A(p)$ of the Dickson algebra $D_n$ consisting of all modular invariants of general linear group $GL(n,\mathbb F_p)$. Here $\mathbb F_p$ denotes the prime field of $p$ elements. In this paper, we give an explicit answer for $n=2$. More precisely, we explicitly compute the action of the Steenrod-Milnor operations $St^{S,R}$ on the generators of $D_n$ for $n=2$ and for either $S=\emptyset, R=(i)$ or $S=(s), R=(i)$ with $s,i$ arbitrary nonnegative integers.
Operations on the cohomology of spaces are important tools enhancing the descriptive power of this computable invariant. For cohomology with mod 2 coefficients, Steenrod squares are the most significant of these operations. Their effective computation relies on formulas defining a cup-$i$ construction, a structure on (co)chains which is important in its own right, having connections to lattice field theory, convex geometry and higher category theory among others. In this article we present new formulas defining a cup-$i$ construction, and use them to introduce a fast algorithm for the computat…
In the early 1990's, Lionel Schwartz gave a lovely characterization of the Krull filtration of U, the category of unstable modules over the mod p Steenrod algebra. Soon after, this filtration was used by the author as an organizational tool in posing and studying some topological nonrealization conjectures. In recent years the Krull filtration of U has been similarly used by Castellana, Crespo, and Scherer in their study of H--spaces with finiteness conditions, and Gaudens and Schwartz have given a proof of some of my conjectures. In light of these topological applications, it seems timely to …
First, by inspiration of the results of Wood \cite{differential,problems}, but with the methods of non-commutative geometry and different approach, we extend the coefficients of the Steenrod squaring operations from the filed $\mathbb{F}_2$ to the dyadic integers $\mathbb{Z}_2$ and call the resulted operations the dyadic Steenrod squares, denoted by $Jq^k$. The derivation-like operations $Jq^k$ generate a graded algebra, called the dyadic Steenrod algebra, denoted by $\mathcal{J}_2$ acting on the polynomials $\mathbb{Z}_2[ξ_1, \dots, ξ_n]$. Being $\mathcal{J}_2$ an Ore domain, enable us to loc…
Let $p$ be an odd prime number. Denote by $GL_n = GL(n,\mathbb F_p)$ the general linear group over the prime field $\mathbb F_p$. Each subgroup of $GL_n$ acts on the algebra $P_n=E(x_1,\ldots,x_n)\otimes \mathbb F_p(y_1,\ldots,y_n)$ in the usual manner. We grade $P_n$ by assigning $\dim x_i=1$ and $\dim y_i=2.$ This algebra is a module over the mod $p$ Steenrod algebra $\mathcal A_p$. The purpose of the paper is to compute the action of the Steenrod-Milnor operations on the generators of $P_2^{GL_2}$. More precisely, we explicitly determine the action of $St^{(i,j)}$ on the Dickson invariants …
Previous work constructed a generalized truncated Brown-Peterson spectrum of chromatic height 2 at the prime 2 as an E_infinity-ring spectrum, based on the study of elliptic curves with level-3 structure. We show that the natural map forgetting this level structure induces an E_infinity-ring map from the spectrum of topological modular forms to this truncated Brown-Peterson spectrum, and that this orientation fits into a diagram of E_infinity-ring spectra lifting a classical diagram of modules over the mod-2 Steenrod algebra. In an appendix we document how to organize Morava's forms of K-theor…
Let $V$ be an elementary abelian $2$-group and $X$ be a finite $V$-CW-complex. In this memoir we study two cochain complexes of modules over the mod2 Steenrod algebra $\mathrm{A}$, equipped with an action of $\mathrm{H}^{*}V$, the mod2 cohomology of $V$, both associated with $X$. The first, which we call the "topological complex", is defined using the orbit filtration of $X$. The second, which we call the "algebraic complex", is defined just in terms of the unstable $\mathrm{A}$-module $\mathrm{H}^*_V X$, the mod2 equivariant cohomology of $X$. Our study makes intensive use of the theory of un…
Let $P_k:= \mathbb F_2[x_1,x_2,\ldots,x_k]$ be the polynomial algebra over the prime field of two elements, $\mathbb F_2$, in $k$ variables $x_1, x_2, \ldots, x_k$, each of degree 1. We are interested in the Peterson hit problem of finding a minimal set of generators for $P_k$ as a module over the mod-2 Steenrod algebra, $\mathcal{A}$. In this paper, we study the hit problem in degree $(k-1)(2^d-1)$ with $d$ a positive integer. Our result implies the one of Mothebe [4,5].
In the paper "The Steenrod algebra and its dual", J.Milnor determined the structure of the dual Steenrod algebra which is a graded commutative Hopf algebra of finite type. We consider the affine group scheme $G_p$ represented by the dual Hopf algebra of the mod $p$ Steenrod algebra. Then, $G_p$ assigns a graded commutative algebra $A_*$ over a prime field of finite characteristic $p$ to a set of isomorphisms of the additive formal group law over $A_*$, whose group structure is given by the composition of formal power series. The aim of this paper is to show some group theoretic properties of $…
We examine the dual of the so-called "hit problem", the latter being the problem of determining a minimal generating set for the cohomology of products of infinite projective spaces as module over the Steenrod Algebra $\mathcal{A}$ at the prime 2. The dual problem is to determine the set of $\mathcal {A}$-annihilated elements in homology. The set of $\mathcal{A}$-annihilateds has been shown by David Anick to be a free associative algebra. In this note we prove that, for each $k \geq 0$, the set of {\it $k$ partially $\mathcal{A}$-annihilateds}, the set of elements that are annihilated by $Sq^i…
In this paper, we show that the finite subalgebra $\mathcal{A}^{\mathbb{R}}(1)$, generated by $\mathrm{Sq}^1$ and $\mathrm{Sq}^2$, of the $\mathbb{R}$-motivic Steenrod algebra $\mathcal{A}^{\mathbb{R}}$ can be given $128$ different $\mathcal{A}^{\mathbb{R}}$-module structures. We also show that all of these $\mathcal{A}^{\mathbb{R}}$-modules can be realized as the cohomology of a $2$-local finite $\mathbb{R}$-motivic spectrum. The realization results are obtained using an $\mathbb{R}$ -motivic analogue of the Toda realization theorem. We notice that each realization of $\mathcal{A}^{\mathbb{R}…
Denote by $P_k$ the graded polynomial algebra $\mathbb F_2[x_1,x_2,\ldots ,x_k]$ over the prime field of two elements, $\mathbb F_2$, with the degree of each $x_i$ being 1. We study the Peterson hit problem of determining a minimal set of generators for $P_k$ as a module over the mod-$2$ Steenrod algebra, $\mathcal{A}.$ In this paper, we explicitly determine a minimal set of $\mathcal{A}$-generators for $P_k$ in the case $k=5$ and the degree $4(2^d - 1)$ with $d$ an arbitrary positive integer.
We establish connectedness criteria for graphs associated to monomials in certain quotients of the mod 2 dual Steenrod algebra. We also investigate questions about trees and Hamilton cycles in the context of these graphs. Finally, we improve upon a known connection between the graph theoretic interpretation of the mod 2 dual Steenrod algebra and its structure as a Hopf algebra.
Steenrod operations have been defined by Voedvodsky in motivic cohomology in order to show the Milnor and Bloch-Kato conjectures. These operations have also been constructed by Brosnan for Chow rings. The purpose of this paper is to provide a setting for the construction of the Steenrod operations in algebraic geometry, for generalized cohomology theories whose formal group law has order two. We adapt the methods used by Bisson-Joyal in studying Steenrod and Dyer-Lashof operations in unoriented cobordism and mod 2 cohomology.
Working over the prime field of characteristic two, consequences of the Koszul duality between the Steenrod algebra and the big Dyer-Lashof algebra are studied, with an emphasis on the interplay between instability for the Steenrod algebra action and that for the Dyer-Lashof operations. The central algebraic framework is the category of length-graded modules over the Steenrod algebra equipped with an unstable action of the Dyer-Lashof algebra, with compatibility via the Nishida relations. A first ingredient is a functor defined on modules over the Steenrod algebra that arose in the work of Kuh…
Primary cohomology operations, i.e., elements of the Steenrod algebra, are given by homotopy classes of maps between Eilenberg--MacLane spectra. Such maps (before taking homotopy classes) form the topological version of the Steenrod algebra. Composition of such maps is strictly linear in one variable and linear up to coherent homotopy in the other variable. To describe this structure, we introduce a hierarchy of higher distributivity laws, and prove that the topological Steenrod algebra satisfies all of them. We show that the higher distributivity laws are homotopy invariant in a suitable sens…
The purpose of this paper is to forge a direct link between the hit problem for the action of the Steenrod algebra A on the polynomial algebra P(n)=F_2[x_1,...,x_n], over the field F_2 of two elements, and semistandard Young tableaux as they apply to the modular representation theory of the general linear group GL(n,F_2). The cohits Q^d(n)=P^d(n)/P^d(n)\cap A^+(P(n)) form a modular representation of GL(n,F_2) and the hit problem is to analyze this module. In certain generic degrees d we show how the semistandard Young tableaux can be used to index a set of monomials which span Q^d(n). The hook…
The mod 2 Steenrod algebra $\mathcal{A}_2$ can be defined as the quotient of the mod 2 Leibniz--Hopf algebra $\mathcal{F}_2$ by the Adem relations. Dually, the mod 2 dual Steenrod algebra $\mathcal{A}_2^*$ can be thought of as a sub-Hopf algebra of the mod 2 dual Leibniz--Hopf algebra $\mathcal{F}_2^*$. We study $\mathcal{A}_2^*$ and $\mathcal{F}_2^*$ from this viewpoint and give generalisations of some classical results in the literature.
Let $P_n$ be the graded polynomial algebra $\mathbb F_2[x_1,x_2,\ldots ,x_n]$ with the degree of each generator $x_i$ being 1, where $\mathbb F_2$ denote the prime field of two elements. The Peterson hit problem is to find a minimal generating set for $P_n$ regarded as a module over the mod-2 Steenrod algebra, $\mathcal{A}$. Equivalently, we want to find a vector space basis for $\mathbb F_2 \otimes_{\mathcal A} P_n$ in each degree $d$. Such a basis may be represented by a list of monomials of degree $d$. In this paper, we present a construction for the $\mathcal A$-generators of $P_n$ and pro…
Let $\mathcal P_{n}:=H^{*}((\mathbb{R}P^{\infty})^{n}) \cong \mathbb F_2[x_{1},x_{2},\ldots,x_{n}]$ be the polynomial algebra over the prime field of two elements, $\mathbb F_2.$ We investigate the Peterson hit problem for the polynomial algebra $\mathcal P_{n},$ viewed as a graded left module over the mod-$2$ Steenrod algebra, $\mathcal{A}.$ For $n>4,$ this problem is still unsolved, even in the case of $n=5$ with the help of computers. The purpose of this paper is to continue our study of the hit problem by developing a result in \cite{ph31} for $\mathcal P_n$ in the generic degree $r(2^s-1)…
In this paper, we compute ${\rm Ext}_{A}^{s}(\widetilde{H}^*(B\mathbb{Z}/p),\mathbb{F}_p)$ for $s\leq 1$. Using this result, we investigate the behavior of $φ_3^{\mathbb{F}_p}$ and $φ_s^{\widetilde{H}^*(B\mathbb{Z}/p)}\ (s\leq1)$ for an odd prime $p$.
Let $P_{k}=H^{*}((\mathbb{R}P^{\infty})^{k})$ be the modulo-$2$ cohomology algebra of the direct product of $k$ copies of infinite dimensional real projective spaces $\mathbb{R}P^{\infty}$. Then, $P_{k}$ is isomorphic to the graded polynomial algebra $\mathbb{F}_{2}[x_{1},\ldots,x_{k}]$ of $k$ variables, in which each $x_{j}$ is of degree 1, and let $GL_k$ be the general linear group over the prime field $\mathbb{F}_2$ which acts naturally on $P_k$. Here the cohomology is taken with coefficients in the prime field $\mathbb F_2$ of two elements. We study the {\it hit problem}, set up by Frank P…
Using the recent work of Frankland and Spitzweck, we define Steenrod operations $P^{n}$ on the mod $p$ motivic cohomology of smooth varieties defined over a base field of characteristic $p$. We show that $P^{n}$ is the $p$th power on $H^{2n,n}(-,\mathbb{F}_{p})\cong CH^{n}(-)/p$ and prove an instability result for the operations. Restricted to mod $p$ Chow groups, we show that the operations satisfy the expected Adem relations and Cartan formula. For $p=2$, we use the new Steenrod squares to obtain new results on quadratic forms over a base field of characteristic $2$.
Let us consider the prime field of two elements, $\mathbb F_2\equiv \mathbb Z_2.$ It is well-known that the classical "hit problem" for a module over the mod 2 Steenrod algebra $\mathscr A$ is an interesting and important open problem of Algebraic topology, which asks a minimal set of generators for the polynomial algebra $\mathcal P_m:=\mathbb F_2[x_1, x_2, \ldots, x_m]$, regarded as a connected unstable $\mathscr A$-module on $m$ variables $x_1, \ldots, x_m,$ each of degree 1. The algebra $\mathcal P_m$ is the $\mathbb F_2$-cohomology of the product of $m$ copies of the Eilenberg-MacLan comp…
