On nontriviality of certain homotopy groups of spheres (Q505367)

Let \(S^k\) denote the \(k\)-dimensional sphere. There is the problem whether or not the homotopy groups \(\pi_n(S^k)\) are nontrivial for all \(n\geq k\). It is well known that the problem has a negative answer if \(k=1\). For \(k>5\), \(\pi_{k+4}(S^k)=0\) by results on the stable homotopy groups of spheres. \textit{E. B. Curtis} [Bull. Am. Math. Soc. 75, 541--544 (1969; Zbl 0183.51604)] showed that the problem has an affirmative answer in the cases \(k=4\) and \(k=2\) with \(n\not\equiv 1\) mod 8. Results of \textit{M. Mahowald} [in: Manifolds, Proc. int. Conf. Manifolds relat. Top. Topol., Tokyo 1973, 255--263 (1975; Zbl 0339.55013)] and \textit{M. Mori} [Mem. Fac. Sci., Kyushu Univ., Ser. A 29, 59--87 (1975; Zbl 0337.55016)] answer the case \(k=5\) in the affirmative. Noticing that \(\pi_n(S^3)=\pi_n(S^2)\) for \(n\geq 3\), the case remains where \(k=2\) and \(n\equiv 1\) mod 8. In the present paper, the authors show that the homotopy group \(\pi_{(2p-2)n+1}(S^3)\) for an odd prime \(p\) and \(n\geq 2\) contains a subgroup isomorphic to \(\mathbb Z/p\) generated by an element obtained from the alpha element \(\alpha_{n-1}\) in the \((2(p-1)(n-1)-1)\)-stem of the stable homotopy groups of spheres. The authors notice that after this paper was completed they found \textit{B. Gray}'s result [Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 96, 95--113 (1984; Zbl 0563.55013)] showing implicitly the main result of the present paper in a different way.