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3 votes
0 answers
145 views

What is the group completion of the underlying multiplicative $\mathbb{E}_\infty$-monoid of the sphere spectrum?

I recently noticed the following categorical/universal way to describe the passage from $\mathbb{Z}$ to $\mathbb{Q}$: We start with the categroy $\mathsf{Sets}^{\mathrm{actv}}_*$ of pointed sets and —...
8 votes
0 answers
450 views

Descent vs effective descent for morphisms of ring spectra

Define a homomorphism $\varphi : A \to B$ of commutative discrete rings or commutative ring spectra to be a (effective) descent morphism if the comparison functor from $\mathsf{Mod}_A$ to the category ...
5 votes
1 answer
322 views

Is there a model structure for S-modules such that cofibrant operad-algebras forget to cofibrant S-modules?

In 1997, Elmendorf, Kriz, Mandell, and May wrote a book Rings, Modules, and Algebras in Stable Homotopy Theory in which they introduced the category of $S$-modules as a model for the stable homotopy ...
5 votes
1 answer
296 views

Ring spectra structures on a certain spectral analogue of $\mathbb{Z}/2$

We can characterise $\mathbb{Z}$ and $\mathbb{Z}/2$ as the corepresenting abelian groups of the functors \begin{align*} \mathsf{Forget} &\colon \mathsf{Ab} \to \mathsf{Sets},\\ \mathrm{Inv}...
5 votes
0 answers
120 views

Variations on Thomason's equivalence between connective spectra and symmetric monoidal categories

There's a number of results relating monoidal categories to connective spectra (which are themselves equivalent to $\mathbb{E}_{\infty}$-spaces): Symmetric monoidal categories model all connective ...
18 votes
1 answer
2k views

Is the $\infty$-category of spectra “convenient”?

A 1991 paper of Lewis, titled “Is there a convenient category of spectra?” proves that there is no category $\mathrm{Sp}$ satisfying the following desiderata$^1$: There is a symmetric monoidal smash ...
6 votes
1 answer
390 views

What is the topological Hochschild cohomology of $\mathbb{F}_p$?

Following the computation of the THH (topological Hochschild homology) of $\mathbb{F}_p$ as outlined in Krause-Nikolaus. We use the fact that $\mathbb{F}_p$ is initial $E_2$ ring with $0=p$ to compute ...
7 votes
1 answer
247 views

Module spectrum maps up to stable homotopy

Let $R$ be a commutative ring spectrum, $M$ and $N$ be a $R$-module spectra. Let us consider $R$-module maps from $M$ to $N$ up to stable homotopy, that is maps $M \to N$ such that the composites $R \...
6 votes
1 answer
576 views

Two definitions of power operations --- how do they relate?

Below are two different stories about power operations for $\mathbb{E}_\infty$-ring spectra, and I am struggling to see how they relate. In the following we let $R$ be an $\mathbb{E}_\infty$-ring ...
5 votes
0 answers
239 views

$\mathbb Z \otimes_\mathbb S \mathbb Z$ is concentrated in degree $0$ : mistake in the argument

I'm not sure this is research level so if this is not appropriate, feel free to move the question to StackExchange. However, I post it here since my "fake proof" is based on a (recent) paper and I'm ...
5 votes
1 answer
480 views

Stable Dold-Kan correspondence and symmetric group actions

There exists a Quillen equivalence between $HRModSpectra$ (model category of ring spectra over Eilenberg-MacLane spectra $EM(R)$, where $R$ is a commutative ring, with stable model structure) and $Ch$ ...
9 votes
0 answers
317 views

Are there non-obvious finite $E_\infty$ ring spectra?

I see two "obvious" classes of nonzero finite $E_\infty$ ring spectra $R$: $R = \Sigma^\infty_+ (S^1)^{\times n}$ $R = D\Sigma^\infty_+ X$ ($X$ a finite space) Questions: Are there any others? In ...
8 votes
0 answers
328 views

Did the Goerss-Hopkins manuscript "Multiplicative stable homotopy theory" ever appear?

A citation to "M. J. Hopkins and P. Goerss, Multiplicative stable homotopy theory, unpublished manuscript, 1996" appears in the Hill, Hopkins, Ravenel Annals paper on the Kervaire invariant. It was ...
5 votes
0 answers
550 views

Truncation and connected cover of spectra

Let $X$ be an $n$-connective spectrum for some $n\in \mathbb{Z}$. Is then $[X, Y] = [X, Y\langle n\rangle]$ for all spectra $Y$, where $Y\langle n\rangle$ denotes the $n$-connective cover of $Y$? ...
12 votes
2 answers
2k views

Connective spectra and infinite loop spaces

It seems to be standard that connective spectra are "the same" as infinite loop space. However, I do not understand the reason why the associated spectrum is connective. For me, an infinite loop ...
8 votes
2 answers
294 views

Morphisms of $\mathbb E_l$-rings between $\mathbb E_k$-rings for $l<k$

Given two commutative rings $A$ and $B$, any map of rings $A\to B$ will automatically preserve the commutative structure. This is to say, the forgetful functor $\operatorname{CRing}\to \operatorname{...
18 votes
1 answer
930 views

When do the polynomial algebra and free algebra coincide in brave new algebra?

Given an $\mathbb E_\infty$-ring (highly structured commutative ring spectrum if you want) $R$, we have the free $R$-algebra (on one generation) $R\{t\}\simeq \bigoplus_{n\ge 0} R_{\mathrm h\Sigma_n}$ ...
21 votes
1 answer
3k views

Motivation and potential applications of spectral algebraic geometry

Nowadays there is a lot of talk about derived algebraic geometry, but not so much about the related subject of spectral algebraic geometry. Now I'm curious what future is there for spectral algebraic ...
26 votes
1 answer
1k views

From the perspective of bordism categories, where does the ring structure on Thom spectra come from?

To fix ideas, let's consider the Thom spectrum of framed bordism $M$, the spectrum whose homotopy groups are the framed bordism groups. $M$ has a ring spectrum structure inducing the product of ...
5 votes
1 answer
444 views

endomorphisms of modules over symmetric ring spectra

I have a probably very basic question about modules over symmetric ring spectra: Let $R$ be a commutative symmetric ring spectrum and let $M$ and $N$ be module spectra over $R$. Moreover, let $\...
41 votes
1 answer
10k views

Why not a Roadmap for Homotopy Theory and Spectra?

MO has seen plenty of roadmap questions but oddly enough I haven't seen one for homotopy theory. As an algebraic geometer who's fond of derived categories I would like some guidance on how to build up ...