Tate-valued Characteristic Classes

Abstract

We define a projective variant of classical complex orientation theory. Using this, we construct a map of spectra which lifts the total Chern class, providing an alternative answer to an old question of Segal \cite{segal}, previously answered by Lawson et al \cite{lawsonetal}. We also lift and generalize the ``sharp'' construction of Ando-French-Ganter \cite{afg} to an operation on arbitrary $\EE_\infty$-complex orientations, thereby providing a rich source of new $\EE_\infty$-orientations for commutative ring spectra. In particular we give an $\EE_\infty$-lift of the Jacobi orientation, a generalization of the much-studied two variable elliptic genus. Finally, we construct some new complex orientations of periodic ring spectra as requested in \cite{hahnyuan}.