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27 votes
2 answers
4k views

Why the sphere spectrum is more correct than $\mathbb{Z}$?

One may argue that $\mathbb{S}$ is more correct than $\mathbb{Z}$. Can anyone make it more explicitly? For example, what information will be lost if we work in $\mathbb{Z}$ instead of $\mathbb{S}$? ...
XT Chen's user avatar
  • 1,168
6 votes
1 answer
284 views

Homotopy groups of $K(n)$-localization of the Brown-Peterson spectrum

We fix $p$ prime and $n$ a natural number. We let $K(n)$ be the $2(p^{n}-1)$-periodic Morava $K$-theory, i.e. $K(n)_*=\mathbb{F}_p[v_n^{\pm 1}]$ with $|v_n|=2(p^n-1)$. I distinctly recall that we ...
N.B.'s user avatar
  • 767
8 votes
2 answers
1k views

Why do we study complex orientable cohomology theories

It seems that much of the literature in stable homotopy theory seems to study complex orientable cohomology theories. What is the reason of restricting to this class of multiplicative cohomology ...
Andy Jiang's user avatar
  • 2,356
11 votes
0 answers
648 views

Fields in Stable Homotopy Theory

It is known that the only "fields" in stable homotopy theory, after localizing at a prime $p$, are Eilenberg-Mac Lane spectra for fields and the Morava K-theories (this is true in a few senses: these ...
Jonathan Beardsley's user avatar