Christian Ausoni

Algebraic K-theory of topological K-theory

We are interested in the arithmetic of ring spectra. To make sense of this we must work with structured ring spectra, such as S-algebras [EKMM], symmetric ring spectra [HSS] or Γ-rings [Ly]. We will refer to these as Salgebras. The commutative objects are then commutative S-algebras. The category of rings is embedded in the category of S-algebras by the Eilenberg– MacLane functor R →HR. We may therefore view an S-algebra as a generalization of a ring in the algebraic sense. The added flexibility of S-algebras provides room for new examples and constructions, which may eventually also shed light upon the category of rings itself. In algebraic number theory the arithmetic of the ring of integers in a number field is largely captured by its Picard group, its unit group and its Brauer group. These are

Rational algebraic K–theory of topological K–theory

We show that after rationalization there is a homotopy fiber sequence BBU -> K(ku) -> K(Z). We interpret this as a correspondence between the virtual 2-vector bundles over a space X and their associated anomaly bundles over the free loop space LX. We also rationally compute K(KU) by using the localization sequence, and K(MU) by a method that applies to all connective S-algebras.

Algebraic

We compute the algebraic K-theory modulo p and v_1 of the S-algebra ell/p = k(1), using topological cyclic homology.

K

The goal of this article is to make explicit a structured complex whose homology computes the cohomology of the p-profinite completion of the n-fold loop space of a sphere of dimension d=n-m<n. This complex is defined purely algebraically, in terms of characteristic structures of E_n-operads. Our construction involves: the free complete algebra in one variable associated to any E_n-operad; and an element in this free complete algebra, which is associated to a morphism from the operad of L-infinity algebras to an operadic suspension of our E_n-operad. We deduce our main theorem from: a connection between the cohomology of iterated loop spaces and the cohomology of algebras over E_n-operads; and a Koszul duality result for E_n-operads.We analyze the stable isomorphism type of polynomial rings on degree 1 generators as modules over the sub-algebra A(1) = of the mod 2 Steenrod algebra. Since their augmentation ideals are Q_1-local, we do this by studying the Q_i-local subcategories and the associated Margolis localizations. The periodicity exhibited by such modules reduces the calculation to one that is finite. We show that these are the only localizations which preserve tensor products, by first computing the Picard groups of these subcategories and using them to determine all idempotents in the stable category of bounded-below A(1)-modules. We show that the Picard groups of the whole category are detected in the local Picard groups, and show that every bounded-below A(1) -module is uniquely expressible as an extension of a Q_0-local module by a Q_1-local module, up to stable equivalence. Applications include correct, complete proofs of Ossas theorem, applications to Powells work describing connective K-theory of classifying spaces of elementary abelian groups in functorial terms, and Aults work on the hit problem.