If is connective spectrum in the sense of a connective spectrum, , and is -connected with , then . In the homological Atiyah-Hirzebruch spectral sequence, the only nonzero term in total degree is . Incoming differentials have negative coefficient degree, and outgoing differentials have spatial degree below . The Hurewicz theorem identifies this term with .
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.
The skeletal filtration of a CW complex and the cofiber sequences of spectra of its cell attachments produce
For a connective spectrum it is first quadrant and converges in each fixed total degree. Its reduced version has no contribution from the basepoint summand.
Take a based CW complex model for . Since it is -connected and , its reduced ordinary homology vanishes below degree , with arbitrary constant coefficients. This also follows from a CW complex model with no non-basepoint cells below degree . The connective spectrum has for .
Filter by its skeleta. The quotients of consecutive stages are wedges of spheres, so the exact sequences in represented homology theory give the homological Atiyah-Hirzebruch spectral sequence
It is first quadrant because is a connective spectrum. In a fixed total degree it converges with a finite filtration: cells of sufficiently high dimension cannot contribute in that degree or affect it through a boundary, by the same connectivity bound.
In total degree , every term with is zero, and terms with are zero. The only possible term is
No differential can leave it: the target has spatial degree . No differential can enter it: its source would be , whose coefficient degree is negative for every . Thus it survives unchanged and is the only filtration quotient of ; there is no extension problem. The ordinary Hurewicz theorem now yields
The isomorphism uses the stated identification and is natural in . This is the bottom-degree generalized Hurewicz isomorphism.