Connective spectrum 2026-10-14
A connective spectrum has for . This makes the homological Atiyah-Hirzebruch spectral sequence first quadrant for a based space, and prevents negative coefficient degrees from affecting its first nonzero represented homology theory.
Function spectrum 2026-10-14
The internal function spectrum is characterized by . For a based space , notation abbreviates .
A hyperphantom map of spectra is a stable map such that for every , for arbitrary based spaces and all nonnegative . Equivalently it induces zero on the entire represented cohomology theory. This is a stronger condition than being a phantom map of spectra, which tests only finite spectra.
Indexed prespectrum 2026-10-14
An indexed prespectrum over consists of based spaces indexed by finite-dimensional , with unital associative maps for inclusions . The orthogonal differences make iterated suspension coordinates compose consistently.
A topological spectrum can be described sequentially by based spaces , , and structure maps
Iterating these maps gives compatible maps . Equivalently, an indexed prespectrum on a universe for spectra has spaces and unital associative structure maps for finite-dimensional inclusions . Here denotes the one-point compactification of the real inner product space .
A map of topological spectra is a family of based maps satisfying
The indexed version requires the same compatibility for every inclusion of indexing subspaces. These are point-set maps, before passing to spectrum homotopy or the stable homotopy category.
An Omega-spectrum is a topological spectrum whose adjoint structure maps
are weak homotopy equivalences. Consequently whenever , using the structure identifications. In the genuine indexed point-set convention, the word spectrum already includes the stronger condition that is a homeomorphism; a general system without that condition is called an indexed prespectrum. Its associated spectrum is obtained by spectrification. The sequential and indexed conventions present the same stable theory.
A cell spectrum is built from the zero topological spectrum by successive stable cell attachments. Concretely, attach a free spectrum on the inclusion at some level by a pushout along its boundary map; its quotient is the stable cell sphere . Iterating such attachments and taking the colimit gives a cell spectrum, with successive quotients wedges of integer suspensions of spectra of the sphere spectrum. Negative cell degrees are allowed by choosing . In the genuine indexed model apply spectrification to this cellular prespectrum. The compatibility of the structure maps is part of both the objects and their maps.
Use derived smash products of spectra and replace a based space by a based CW complex when necessary. The reduced represented homology theory of is
Thus represented homology theory is covariant in : a based map induces a map of suspension spectra, and hence a map on the stable homotopy groups of the displayed smash product of spectra. In a well-based sequential model the same definition is
with sufficiently large and transition maps given by suspension followed by the structure map.
The reduced represented cohomology theory is
The brackets denote maps in the stable homotopy category. This is contravariant in , by precomposition. For the Omega-spectrum it is also the group of based homotopy classes , where for negative we take . More generally, for the Omega-spectrum identifications give ; the shifts and loops supply its abelian group structure. In particular
All these definitions are reduced: the basepoint itself contributes zero.
A stable map induces a degree-preserving additive natural transformation of represented cohomology theories by postcomposition with in degree . This transformation commutes with the suspension isomorphisms. The resulting map
is onto, but need not be one-to-one. Its kernel consists of hyperphantom maps of spectra: maps for which for every stable map
for every based space and every . Equivalently, they induce zero in all degrees of represented cohomology theory on all based spaces. Therefore
This condition tests arbitrary suspension spectra with negative shifts. Merely testing finite spectra defines a phantom map of spectra, which is a weaker condition. In particular the homology conclusion in Question 5 should not be substituted for the cohomology condition here.
Write for the linear isometry specified at . Choose a cofinal sequence from the indexing family , and write the target part of the supplied subordinate flag for a family of linear isometries as . After a cofinal enlargement it has
Both flags exhaust their universe for spectra. Compactness of the parameter space ensures that a finite target stage can contain all images of each fixed source stage.
Let be the vector bundle on with fiber
Here is the orthogonal complement in the indicated ambient subspace. Its rank is . Let be its Thom space, the disk bundle modulo its sphere bundle, so that every fiber is compactified and all its points at infinity become the single basepoint. For the zero bundle this convention gives . Define a target indexed prespectrum on the flag by
The smash product here is of based spaces, not yet the derived smash product of spectra.
To specify all structure maps, for use the continuous fiberwise orthogonal isomorphism
Both sides identify with the complement of in . In particular this is the isometry obtained by orthogonally projecting onto and its complement; it is not an assertion that the displayed summands coincide separately. Pass to fiberwise one-point compactifications, identify the last summand with using , and apply the source structure map. This defines
More explicitly, decompose , where and , as with and . Send its pair with to the pair over . The notation for finite vectors extends to the compactifications, sending infinities and basepoints to the basepoint. Orthogonal decomposition and associativity of the source structure maps prove the prespectrum identities.
Extend the indexed prespectrum from the cofinal flag to the target indexing family and apply spectrification . The point-set definition is
On a map of topological spectra it is induced at stage by . Thus the prescribed isometry family, indexing family and flag have all been used. A common cofinal refinement identifies the resulting objects in the stable homotopy category; the point-set model retains the chosen flag. If is a constant standard inclusion, the complement bundles are trivial and this recovers the usual reindexed .
Choose basepoints and replace the spaces and map by CW complex models. If the hypothesis is stated for unreduced represented homology theory, the basepoint coefficient summands split naturally, so it also gives an isomorphism in reduced represented homology theory. Let be the homotopy mapping cone of . Its reduced represented homology theory is zero in every degree, by the exact sequence of the corresponding cofiber sequence of spectra.
The mapping cone is a simply connected space: the mapping cylinder retracts onto , and coning off the path-connected space adds no fundamental-group generators; the van Kampen calculation gives the quotient of by the image of , which is trivial. Suppose some positive-degree integral homology group of were nonzero, and let be the least such degree. Then . Starting with , the Hurewicz theorem shows inductively that for : at each first possible degree , its homotopy group is identified with the zero group . It then identifies
Applying the result of part (a) to the -connected based space gives , contradicting the vanishing of its represented homology theory.
Thus is integrally acyclic, and the ordinary homology exact sequence says that is an integral homology isomorphism. The allowed homological Whitehead theorem for simply connected spaces makes the map of CW complex models a homotopy equivalence. Returning to the original spaces therefore gives
The simply connected hypothesis is used both in the first-nonzero-degree Hurewicz theorem argument and in the final homological Whitehead theorem.
Phantom map of spectra 2026-10-14
A phantom map of spectra is a stable map with for every map from a finite spectrum. Such a map can be nonzero even though it induces zero on all represented homology theories on based spaces.
A topological spectrum represents the reduced generalized homology theory on based spaces, where the smash product of spectra is derived. It is covariant in .
Spectrum (topology) 2026-10-14
A sequential model of a topological spectrum consists of based spaces and structure maps . Indexed models use finite-dimensional subspaces of a universe for spectra and structure maps . Different standard models present the same stable homotopy category.
Suspension of spectra 2026-10-14
Suspension of spectra shifts the stable degree. Unlike reduced suspension of based spaces, it is invertible in the stable homotopy category, with inverse denoted .
Suspension spectrum 2026-10-14
For a based space , its suspension spectrum has level equal to . Its derived adjunction with the infinite loop space is .