arXiv subjects

Douglas C. Ravenel

Publications and source records attributed to Douglas C. Ravenel.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

What are cyclotomic spectra and why do we need them?

This paper is an expository account of cyclotomic spectra. They are spectra (in the sense of homotopy theory) with additional structure that includes an action of the circle group, which we will denote by $\mT$, for torus. Such objects come up in algebraic $K$-theory and its close relatives topological Hochschild homology $\THH$ and topological cyclic homology $\TopC$. They figure prominently in the recent disproof of the {\TC} for chromatic heights greater than 1 by Robert Burklund, Jeremy Hahn, Ishan Levy and Tomer Schlank . Those authors show that for each $n\geq 1$ and each prime $p$, there is a $p$-local ring spectrum $X$ of chromatic height $n$ such that $L_{K (n+1)}\TopC (X)$ and $L_{T (n+1)}\TopC (X)$ (see \cref{def-KT-KK}) are distinct. The present work is part of my attempt to understand theirs

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arXiv2026

Cyclotomic extensions in stable homotopy theory

This expository paper is a companion to \cite{Rav:gjmcyc}, in which we discuss cyclotomic spectra. Both papers are intended to shed light on the recent resolution of the telescope conjecture by Robert Burklund, Jeremy Hahn, Ishan Levy and Tomer Schlank (hereafter referred to as BHLS) in \cite{BHLS}. Their proof involves both cyclotomic spectra, the subject of \cite{Rav:gjmcyc}, and cyclotomic extensions of spectra, the subject of this paper. Higher cyclotomic extensions of commutative ring spectra are analogous to Galois extensions of $p$-adic number fields (or rings of integers thereof) obtained by adjoining roots of unity.

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arXiv2025

The connective Morava K-theory of the second mod p Eilenberg-MacLane space

We develop tools for computing the connective n-th Morava K-theory of spaces. Starting with a Universal Coefficient Theorem that computes the cohomology version from the homology version, we show that every step in the process of computing one is mirrored in the other and that this can be used to make computations. As our example, we compute the connective n-th Morava K-theory of the second mod p Eilenberg-MacLane space.

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arXiv2023

The homological slice spectral sequence in motivic and Real bordism

For a motivic spectrum $E\in \mathcal{SH}(k)$, let $Γ(E)$ denote the global sections spectrum, where $E$ is viewed as a sheaf of spectra on $\mathrm{Sm}_k$. Voevodsky's slice filtration determines a spectral sequence converging to the homotopy groups of $Γ(E)$. In this paper, we introduce a spectral sequence converging instead to the mod 2 homology of $Γ(E)$ and study the case $E=BPGL\langle m\rangle$ for $k=\mathbb R$ in detail. We show that this spectral sequence contains the $\mathcal{A}_*$-comodule algebra $(\mathcal{A}//\mathcal{A}(m))^*$ as permanent cycles, and we determine a family of differentials interpolating between $(\mathcal{A}//\mathcal{A}(0))^*$ and $(\mathcal{A}//\mathcal{A}(m))^*$. Using this, we compute the spectral sequence completely for $m\le 3$. In the height 2 case, the Betti realization of $BPGL\langle 2\rangle$ is the $C_2$-spectrum $BP_{\mathbb R}\langle 2\rangle$, a form of which was shown by Hill and Meier to be an equivariant model for $\mathrm{tmf}_1(3)$. Our spectral sequence therefore gives a computation of the comodule algebra $H_*\mathrm{tmf}_0(3)$. As a consequence, we deduce a new ($2$-local) Wood-type splitting \[\mathrm{tmf}\wedge X\simeq \mathrm{tmf}_0(3)\] of $\mathrm{tmf}$-modules predicted by Davis and Mahowald, for $X$ a certain 10-cell complex.

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arXiv2019

The cohomology of $C_2$-equivariant $A(1)$ and the homotopy of $ko_{C_2}$

We compute the cohomology of the subalgebra $A^{C_2}(1)$ of the $C_2$-equivariant Steenrod algebra $A^{C_2}$. This serves as the input to the $C_2$-equivariant Adams spectral sequence converging to the $RO(C_2)$-graded homotopy groups of an equivariant spectrum $ko_{C_2}$. Our approach is to use simpler $\mathbb{C}$-motivic and $\mathbb{R}$-motivic calculations as stepping stones.

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arXiv2018

The Method of Infinite Descent in Stable Homotopy Theory II

This paper is a continuation of the version I of the same title, which intends to clarify and expand the results in the last chapter of `the green book' by the second author. In particular, we give the stable homotopy groups of $p$-local spectra $T(m)_{(1)}$ for $m>0$. This is a part of a program to compute the $p$-components of $π_{*}(S^{0})$ through dimension $2p^{4}(p-1)$ for $p>2$. We will refer to the results from the version I freely as if they were in the first four sections of this paper, which begins with section 5.

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arXiv2016

The slice spectral sequence for the $C_{4}$ analog of real $K$-theory

We describe the slice spectral sequence of a 32-periodic $C_{4}$-spectrum $K_{[2]}$ related to the $C_{4}$ norm ${N_{C_{2}}^{C_{4}}MU_{\bf R}}$ of the real cobordism spectrum $MU_{\bf R}$. We will give it as a spectral sequence of Mackey functors converging to the graded Mackey functor $\underline{π}_{*}K_{[2]}$, complete with differentials and exotic extensions in the Mackey functor structure. The slice spectral sequence for the 8-periodic real $K$-theory spectrum $K_{\bf R}$ was first analyzed by Dugger. The $C_{8}$ analog of $K_{[2]}$ is 256-periodic and detects the Kervaire invariant classes $θ_{j}$ in the stable homotopy groups of spheres. A partial analysis of its slice spectral sequence led to the solution to the Kervaire invariant problem, namely the theorem that $θ_{j}$ does not exist for $j\geq 7$.

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arXiv2015

The Slice Spectral Sequence for certain $RO(C_{p^n})$-graded Suspensions of $H\underline{\mathbb Z}$

We study the slice filtration and associated spectral sequence for a family of $RO(C_{p^{n}})$-graded suspensions of the Eilenberg-MacLane spectrum for the constant Mackey functor $\underline{\mathbb Z}$. Since $H\underline{\mathbb Z}$ is the zero slice of the sphere spectrum, this begins an analysis of how one can describe the slices of a suspension in terms of the original slices.

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arXiv2015

On the non-existence of elements of Kervaire invariant one

We show that Kervaire invariant one elements in the homotopy groups of spheres exist only in dimensions at most 126. By Browder's Theorem, this means that smooth framed manifolds of Kervaire invariant one exist only in dimensions 2, 6, 14, 30, 62, and possibly 126. With the exception of dimension 126 this resolves a longstanding problem in algebraic topology.

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