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Tobias Barthel

Publications and source records attributed to Tobias Barthel.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

A non-spatial frame of smashing ideals

We construct commutative rings whose derived categories have non-spatial frames of smashing ideals, thereby answering in the negative questions of Balchin--Stevenson and Aoki.

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Local Bousfield classes via homological support

Given an object $A$ in a big tensor-triangulated category, we study the homological and cohomological Bousfield classes of the associated localization: the tensor-triangulated category of $A$-local objects. We show that the homological support classifies the homological Bousfield classes of the $A$-local category precisely when an $A$-relative form of the homological detection property holds. Moreover, we prove that this holds if and only if $A$ is Bousfield equivalent to a coproduct of homological residue fields. The analogous classification of cohomological Bousfield classes by homological cosupport is strictly stronger: it is equivalent to an $A$-relative form of homological stratification. This equivalence between stratification and the classification of cohomological Bousfield classes is new even in the absolute case. A further surprise is that stratification is also equivalent to the classification of homological Bousfield classes together with the statement that every cohomological Bousfield class is homological. Applied to chromatic homotopy theory, these results classify the homological Bousfield classes of any localization of spectra with respect to a coproduct of Morava $K$-theories. This covers many localizations of interest. We also completely characterize when such chromatic localizations are relatively homologically stratified. This yields new examples of cohomological Bousfield classes that are not homological. In particular, it answers a question of Wolcott concerning the category of harmonic spectra. Our examples are produced by exhibiting local spectra with empty homological cosupport.

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On the universality of multiexcisive functors

We provide a multiplicative classification of polynomial endofunctors on spectra in terms of their Mackey functors of cross--effects. More precisely, we prove that various categories of multivariable excisive functors from spectra to spectra are symmetric monoidally equivalent to the corresponding variants of spectral Mackey functors. The symmetric monoidal structures appearing here are the Day convolutions on both sides, and the Mackey functors we consider involve variations on the category of finite sets and surjections. The method is first to introduce certain multivariable functors we call subdiagonal functors. By considering them all at once using parametrised category theory, we prove inductively that they all admit Mackey functor descriptions as symmetric monoidal categories, endowing them with a universal property along the way. In particular, specialising this to univariate functors gives a new proof and strengthening of Glasman's result about d-excisive endofunctors on spectra. As application of our perspective, we prove a ``Segal conjecture'' in the context of Goodwillie calculus when d is a prime number.

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Geometric Points in Tensor Triangular Geometry

In this paper, we study geometric points in tensor triangular geometry. In doing so, we construct a counter-example to Balmer's Nerves of Steel conjecture using free constructions in higher Zariski geometry. We then go on to introduce and discuss constructible spectra in the context of tensor triangular geometry. For tensor triangulated categories satisfying a mild enhancement condition, we use these spectra to construct geometric incarnations of (homological or triangular) primes via maps to "pointlike" tensor triangulated categories.

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Homological stratification and descent

We introduce a notion of stratification for rigidly-compactly generated tensor-triangulated categories relative to the homological spectrum and develop the fundamental features of this theory. In particular, we demonstrate that it exhibits excellent descent properties. In conjunction with Balmer's Nerves of Steel conjecture, we conclude that stratification admits a general form of descent. This gives a uniform treatment of several recent stratification results and provides a complete answer to the question: When does stratification descend? As a new application, we extend earlier work on the tensor triangular geometry of equivariant module spectra from finite groups to compact Lie groups.

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A simple universal property of Thom ring spectra

We give a simple universal property of the multiplicative structure on the Thom spectrum of an $n$-fold loop map, obtained as a special case of a characterization of the algebra structure on the colimit of a lax $\mathcal{O}$-monoidal functor. This allows us to relate Thom spectra to $\mathbb{E}_n$-algebras of a given characteristic in the sense of Szymik. As applications, we recover the Hopkins--Mahowald theorem realizing $H\mathbb{F}_p$ and $H\mathbb{Z}$ as Thom spectra, and compute the topological Hochschild homology and the cotangent complex of various Thom spectra.

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On Hopkins' Picard group

We compute the algebraic Picard group of the category of $K(n)$-local spectra, for all heights $n$ and all primes $p$. In particular, we show that it is always finitely generated over $\mathbb{Z}_p$ and, whenever $n \geq 2$, is of rank $2$, thereby confirming a prediction made by Hopkins in the early 1990s. In fact, with the exception of the anomalous case $n=p=2$, we provide a full set of topological generators for these groups. Our arguments rely on recent advances in $p$-adic geometry to translate the problem to a computation on Drinfeld's symmetric space, which can then be solved using results of Colmez--Dospinescu--Niziol.

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The spectrum of excisive functors

We prove a thick subcategory theorem for the category of $d$-excisive functors from finite spectra to spectra. This generalizes the Hopkins-Smith thick subcategory theorem (the $d=1$ case) and the $C_2$-equivariant thick subcategory theorem (the $d=2$ case). We obtain our classification theorem by completely computing the Balmer spectrum of compact $d$-excisive functors. A key ingredient is a non-abelian blueshift theorem for the generalized Tate construction associated to the family of non-transitive subgroups of products of symmetric groups. Also important are the techniques of tensor triangular geometry and striking analogies between functor calculus and equivariant homotopy theory. In particular, we introduce a functor calculus analogue of the Burnside ring and describe its Zariski spectrum à la Dress. The analogy with equivariant homotopy theory is strengthened further through two applications: We explain the effect of changing coefficients from spectra to ${\mathrm{H}\mathbb{Z}}$-modules and we establish a functor calculus analogue of transchromatic Smith-Floyd theory as developed by Kuhn-Lloyd. Our work offers a new perspective on functor calculus which builds upon the previous approaches of Arone-Ching and Glasman.

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On the rationalization of the $K(n)$-local sphere

We compute the rational homotopy groups of the $K(n)$-local sphere for all heights $n$ and all primes $p$, verifying a prediction that goes back to the pioneering work of Morava in the early 1970s. More precisely, we show that the inclusion of the Witt vectors into the Lubin-Tate ring induces a split injection on continuous stabilizer cohomology with torsion cokernel of bounded exponent, thereby proving Hopkins' chromatic splitting conjecture and the vanishing conjecture of Beaudry-Goerss-Henn rationally. The key ingredients are the equivalence between the Lubin-Tate tower and the Drinfeld tower due to Faltings and Scholze-Weinstein, integral $p$-adic Hodge theory, and an integral refinement of a theorem of Tate on the Galois cohomology of non-archimedean fields.

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The nine model category structures on the category of sets

We give a proof of the folklore theorem, attributed to Goodwillie, that there are precisely nine model structures on the category $\mathsf{Set}$ of sets. This result is deduced from a complete study of lifting problems and the ensuing classification of all weak factorization systems on $\mathsf{Set}$. Moreover, we determine the Quillen equivalences between these model structures and exhibit an explicit example of equivalent model structures that cannot be realized by a single Quillen adjunction.

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Higher Zariski Geometry

We revisit the classical constructions of tensor-triangular geometry in the setting of stably symmetric monoidal idempotent-complete $\infty$-categories, henceforth referred to as 2-rings. In this setting, we produce a Zariski topology, a Zariski spectrum, a category of locally 2-ringed spaces (more generally $\infty$-topoi), and an affine spectrum-global sections adjunction, based on the framework of ``$\infty$-topoi with geometric structure'' as developed by Lurie in \cite{LurieDAG5}. Using work of Kock and Pitsch, we compute that the underlying space of the Zariski spectrum of a 2-ring recovers the Balmer spectrum of its homotopy category. These constructions mirror the analogous structures in the classical Zariski geometry of commutative rings (and commutative ring spectra), and we also demonstrate additional compatibility between classical Zariski and higher Zariski geometry. For rigid 2-rings, we show that the descent results of Balmer and Favi admit coherent enhancements. As a corollary, we obtain that the Zariski spectrum fully faithfully embeds rigid 2-rings into locally 2-ringed $\infty$-topoi. In an appendix, we prove a ``stalk-locality principle'' for the telescope conjecture in the rigid setting, extending earlier work of Hrbek.

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Global representation theory: Homological foundations

A global representation is a compatible collection of representations of the outer automorphism groups of the groups belonging to some collection of finite groups $\mathscr{U}$. Global representations assemble into an abelian category $\mathsf{A}(\mathscr{U})$, simultaneously generalising classical representation theory and the category of VI-modules appearing in the representation theory of the general linear groups. In this paper we establish homological foundations of its derived category $\mathsf{D}(\mathscr{U})$. We prove that any complex of projective global representations is DG-projective, and hence conclude that the derived category admits an explicit model as the homotopy category of projective global representations. We show that from a tensor-triangular perspective it exhibits some unusual features: for example, there are very few dualizable objects and in general many more compact objects. Under more restrictive conditions on the family $\mathscr{U}$, we then construct torsion-free classes for global representations which encode certain growth properties in $\mathscr{U}$. This lays the foundations for a detailed study of the tensor-triangular geometry of derived global representations which we pursue in forthcoming work.

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The spectrum of global representations for families of bounded rank and VI-modules

A global representation is a compatible collection of representations of the outer automorphism groups of the finite groups belonging to a family $\mathscr{U}$. These arise in classical representation theory, in the study of representation stability, as well as in global homotopy theory. In this paper we begin a systematic study of the derived category $\mathsf{D}(\mathscr{U};k)$ of global representations over fields $k$ of characteristic zero, from the point-of-view of tensor-triangular geometry. We calculate its Balmer spectrum for various infinite families of finite groups including elementary abelian $p$-groups, cyclic groups, and finite abelian $p$-groups of bounded rank. We then deduce that the Balmer spectrum associated to the family of finite abelian $p$-groups has infinite Krull dimension and infinite Cantor--Bendixson rank, illustrating the complex phenomena we encounter. As a concrete application, we provide a complete tt-theoretic classification of finitely generated derived VI-modules. Our proofs rely on subtle information about the growth behaviour of global representations studied in a companion paper, as well as novel methods from non-rigid tt-geometry.

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Cohen's theorem in tensor triangular geometry

A theorem of Cohen from 1950 states that a commutative ring is Noetherian if and only if every prime ideal is finitely generated. In this note, we establish analogues of this result in tensor triangular geometry. In particular, for an essentially small tensor triangulated category $\mathscr{K}$ with weakly Noetherian spectrum, we show that every prime ideal in $\mathscr{K}$ can be generated by finitely many objects if and only if the set of prime ideals of $\mathscr{K}$ is finite.

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Quillen stratification in equivariant homotopy theory

We prove a version of Quillen's stratification theorem in equivariant homotopy theory for a finite group $G$, generalizing the classical theorem in two directions. Firstly, we work with arbitrary commutative equivariant ring spectra as coefficients, and secondly, we categorify it to a result about equivariant modules. Our general stratification theorem is formulated in the language of equivariant tensor-triangular geometry, which we show to be tightly controlled by the non-equivariant tensor-triangular geometry of the geometric fixed points. We then apply our methods to the case of Borel-equivariant Lubin--Tate $E$-theory $\underline{E_n}$, for any finite height $n$ and any finite group $G$, where we obtain a sharper theorem in the form of cohomological stratification. In particular, this provides a computation of the Balmer spectrum as well as a cohomological parametrization of all localizing $\otimes$-ideals of the category of equivariant modules over $\underline{E_n}$, thereby establishing a finite height analogue of the work of Benson, Iyengar, and Krause in modular representation theory.

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On surjectivity in tensor triangular geometry

We prove that a jointly conservative family of geometric functors between rigidly-compactly generated tensor triangulated categories induces a surjective map on Balmer spectra. From this we deduce a fiberwise criterion for Balmer's comparison map to be a continuous bijection. This gives short alternative proofs of the Hopkins--Neeman theorem and its generalization, due to Lau, to the case of a finite group acting trivially on an affine scheme.

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Profinite equivariant spectra and their tensor-triangular geometry

We study the tensor-triangular geometry of the category of equivariant $G$-spectra for $G$ a profinite group, $\mathsf{Sp}_G$. Our starting point is the construction of a ``continuous'' model for this category, which we show agrees with all other models in the literature. We describe the Balmer spectrum of finite $G$-spectra up to the ambiguity that is present in the finite group case; in particular, we obtain a thick subcategory theorem when $G$ is abelian. By verifying the bijectivity hypothesis for $\mathsf{Sp}_G$, we prove a nilpotence theorem for all profinite groups. Our study then moves to the realm of rational $G$-equivariant spectra. By exploiting the continuity of our model, we construct an equivalence between the category of rational $G$-spectra and the algebraic model of the second author and Sugrue, which improves their result to the symmetric monoidal and $\infty$-categorical level. Furthermore, we prove that the telescope conjecture holds in this category. Finally, we characterize when the category of rational $G$-spectra is stratified, resulting in a classification of the localizing ideals in terms of conjugacy classes of subgroups. To facilitate these results, we develop some foundational aspects of pro-tt-geometry. For instance, we establish and use the continuity of the homological spectrum and introduce a notion of von Neumann regular tt-categories, of which rational $G$-spectra is an example.

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Prismatic decompositions and rational $G$-spectra

We study the tensor-triangular geometry of the category of rational $G$-spectra for a compact Lie group $G$. In particular, we prove that this category can be naturally decomposed into local factors supported on individual subgroups, each of which admits an algebraic model. This is an important step and strong evidence towards the third author's conjecture that the category of rational $G$-spectra admits an algebraic model for all compact Lie groups. To facilitate these results, we relate topological properties of the associated Balmer spectrum to structural features of the group $G$ and the category of rational $G$-spectra. A key ingredient is our presentation of the spectrum as a Priestley space, separating the Hausdorff topology on conjugacy classes of closed subgroups of $G$ from the cotoral ordering. We use this to prove that the telescope conjecture holds in general for rational $G$-spectra, and we determine exactly when the Balmer spectrum is Noetherian. In order to construct the desired decomposition of the category, we develop a general theory of `prismatic decompositions' of rigidly-compactly generated tensor-triangulated categories, which in favourable cases gives a series of recollements for reconstructing the category from local factors over individual points of the spectrum.

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