algebraic topology – application of higher algebra and higher category theory to the study of (stable) homotopy theory
Let
be a morphism in the stable homotopy category (for instance the stabilization of a morphism in the classical homotopy category) and let be a Whitehead-generalized cohomology theory (usually assumed to be at least multiplicative).
Then the -invariant of with respect to (Adams 66, Sec. 3, p. 26, short for “degree invariant”, see Example below) is the class of the corresponding pullback morphism , regarded as an element of the 0th Ext-group (i.e. the plain hom-object) between the -cohomologies of and :
The fancy name is justified by the fact that this is beginning of a hierarchy of more interesting invariants of stable maps seen in -cohomology, each of which defined when the previous one vanishes: The next is the e-invariant, then comes the f-invariant (e.g. BL 09, Section 2). These are the elements that appear in the first lines on the second page of the -Adams spectral sequence for .
(d-invariant specializes to degree of a continuous function)
In the special case that
and are connected closed oriented topological manifolds of the same dimension
then the -component of the -invariant (2) is the degree of
If moreover is the n-sphere, so that represents a class in the th Cohomotopy of , then is concentrated on in degree and hence the component is the full information in the d-invariant.
In this case, the Hopf degree theorem says that the degree of , and hence the d-invariant of in integral cohomology, completely characterizes the homotopy class .
When the d-invariant vanishes, then the e-invariant exists. But in fact, classical constructions of the e-invariant proceed via a choice of a trivialization of the d-invariant and conclude by showing the result to be independent of this choice (this is meant to be brought out at Adams e-invariant – Construction via unit cofiber theories).
Here we discuss the space of choices of trivializations of the d-invariant (following SS 21):
[Set of trivializations of the d-invariant] For a multiplicative cohomology theory and , write
for the set of tuples consisting of the stable Cohomotopy class of a map and the 2-homotopy class of a trivialization (if any) of its d-invariant in -cohomology.
So an element of (4) is the 2-homotopy class relative the boundary of a homotopy coherent diagramof the following form:
[Unit cofiber cohomology theory]
For a multiplicative cohomology theory with unit map we denote the corresponding homotopy cofiber-theory as follows:
[Trivializations of d-invariant are classes in cofiber theory] There is a map between the set (4) of trivializations of the d-invariant and the cohomology group of the unit cofiber theory (Def. ):
compatible with the fibrations of both over the underlying stable Cohomotopy classes .
We give two proofs: A quick abstract one and a more explicit one that proceeds via classes on the cofiber space of . The latter is close to the old argument of Conner-Floyd 66, Thm. 16.2 (there for MUFr, see this section for more).
[quick abstract]
By Definition , an element in is equivalently the class of a homotopy cone with tip over the cospan formed by the ring spectrum unit and the zero morphism:
But in Spectra homotopy cofiber sequences are homotopy fiber sequences (by this Prop.), so that by the universal property of homotopy fibers the class of the above diagram is equivalently the class of a map from to ):
This implies the claim, by
[more explicit, Conner-Floyd-style]
Let be a given class in Cohomotopy. We need to produce a map of the form
and show that it is a bijection onto this fiber, hence that the square is cartesian. To this end, we discuss the following homotopy pasting diagram, all of whose cells are homotopy cartesian:
For given , this diagram is constructed as follows (where we say “square” for any single cell and “rectangle” for the pasting composite of any adjacent pair of them):
The two squares on the left are the stabilization of the homotopy pushout squares defining the cofiber space and the suspension of
The bottom left rectangle (with at its top) is the homotopy pushout defining .
The classifying map for the given -flux, shown as a dashed arrow, completes a co-cone under the bottom left square. Thus the map forming the bottom middle square is uniquely implied by the homotopy pushout property of the bottom left square. Moreover, the pasting law implies that this bottom middle square is itself homotopy cartesian.
The bottom right square is the homotopy pushout defining .
By the pasting law it follows that also the bottom right rectangle is homotopy cartesian, hence that, after the two squares on the left, it exhibits the third step in the long homotopy cofiber sequence of . This means that its total bottom morphism is , and hence that .
In conclusion, these construction steps yield a map map which is as required.
Notions of pullback:
pullback, fiber product (limit over a cospan)
lax pullback, comma object (lax limit over a cospan)
(∞,1)-pullback, homotopy pullback, ((∞,1)-limit over a cospan)
The notion was introduced, together with that of the e-invariant, in:
Discussion in the broader context including also the f-invariant:
Last revised on March 1, 2021 at 18:29:00. See the history of this page for a list of all contributions to it.