nLab Segal-Carlsson completion theorem

Idea

The statement known as Segal’s conjecture (due to Graeme Segal in the 1970s, then proven by Carlsson 84) characterizes the stable cohomotopy groups $\pi^\bullet_{st}(B G)$ of the classifying space $B G$ of a finite group $G$ as the formal completion $\widehat \pi^\bullet_S(B G)$ at the augmentation ideal (i.e. when regarded as a ring of functions: its restriction to the infinitesimal neighbourhood of the basepoint) of the ring $\pi^\bullet_{st,G}(\ast)$ of $G$-equivariant stable cohomotopy groups of the point, the latter also being isomorphic to the Burnside ring $A(G)$ of $G$:

$$A(G) \simeq \pi^\bullet_{st,G}(\ast) \overset{ \text{completion} \atop \text{projection} }{\longrightarrow} \widehat \pi^\bullet_{st,G}(\ast) \simeq \pi^\bullet_{st}(B G) \,.$$

This statement is the direct analogue of the Atiyah-Segal completion theorem, which makes the analogous statement for the generalized cohomology not being (equivariant) stable cohomotopy but (equivariant) complex K-theory (with the role of the Burnside ring then being the representation ring of $G$).

(equivariant) cohomology	representing spectrum	equivariant cohomology of the point $\ast$	cohomology of classifying space $B G$
(equivariant) ordinary cohomology	HZ	Borel equivariance $H^\bullet_G(\ast) \simeq H^\bullet(B G, \mathbb{Z})$
(equivariant) complex K-theory	KU	representation ring $KU_G(\ast) \simeq R_{\mathbb{C}}(G)$	Atiyah-Segal completion theorem $R(G) \simeq KU_G(\ast) \overset{ \text{compl.} }{\longrightarrow} \widehat {KU_G(\ast)} \simeq KU(B G)$
(equivariant) complex cobordism cohomology	MU	$MU_G(\ast)$	completion theorem for complex cobordism cohomology $MU_G(\ast) \overset{ \text{compl.} }{\longrightarrow} \widehat {MU_G(\ast)} \simeq MU(B G)$
(equivariant) algebraic K-theory	$K \mathbb{F}_p$	representation ring $(K \mathbb{F}_p)_G(\ast) \simeq R_p(G)$	Rector completion theorem $R_{\mathbb{F}_p}(G) \simeq K (\mathbb{F}_p)_G(\ast) \overset{ \text{compl.} }{\longrightarrow} \widehat {(K \mathbb{F}_p)_G(\ast)} \!\! \overset{\text{<a href="https://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/Rector+completion+theorem">Rector 73</a>}}{\simeq} \!\!\!\!\!\! K \mathbb{F}_p(B G)$
(equivariant) stable cohomotopy	$K \mathbb{F}_1 \overset{\text{<a href="stable cohomotopy#StableCohomotopyIsAlgebraicKTheoryOverFieldWithOneElement">Segal 74</a>}}{\simeq}$ S	Burnside ring $\mathbb{S}_G(\ast) \simeq A(G)$	Segal-Carlsson completion theorem $A(G) \overset{\text{<a href="https://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/Burnside+ring+is+equivariant+stable+cohomotopy+of+the+point">Segal 71</a>}}{\simeq} \mathbb{S}_G(\ast) \overset{ \text{compl.} }{\longrightarrow} \widehat {\mathbb{S}_G(\ast)} \!\! \overset{\text{<a href="https://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/Segal-Carlsson+completion+theorem">Carlsson 84</a>}}{\simeq} \!\!\!\!\!\! \mathbb{S}(B G)$

Related concepts

• equivariant stable cohomotopy

• equivariant homotopy theory

• equivariant cohomology

Applications

A proof of the Sullivan conjecture follows with the Segal-Carlsson completion theorem

References

The statement was proven in

• Gunnar Carlsson, Equivariant Stable Homotopy and Segal’s Burnside Ring Conjecture, Annals of Mathematics Second Series, Vol. 120, No. 2 (Sep., 1984), pp. 189-224 (jstor:2006940, pdf)

see also

• Erkki Laitinen, On the Burnside ring and stable cohomotopy of a finite group, Mathematica Scandinavica Vol. 44, No. 1 (August 30, 1979), pp. 37-72 (jstor:24491306, pdf)

• Wolfgang Lück, The Burnside Ring and Equivariant Stable Cohomotopy for Infinite Groups (arXiv:math/0504051)

Review includes

• Peter May, section XX of Equivariant homotopy and cohomology theory CBMS Regional Conference Series in Mathematics, vol. 91, Published for the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences, Washington, DC, 1996. With contributions by M. Cole, G. Comeza˜na, S. Costenoble, A. D. Elmenddorf, J. P. C. Greenlees, L. G. Lewis, Jr., R. J. Piacenza, G. Triantafillou, and S. Waner. (pdf)

Application to proof of the Sullivan conjecture is due to

• Gunnar Carlsson, Equivariant stable homotopy and Sullivan’s conjecture. Invent. Math. 103: 497–525, 1991 (dml:143867, pdf)

See also

• Wikipedia, Segal conjecture