The discrete module category for the ring of \(K\)-theory operations (Q882482)

Let \(A=K^0_{(p)}(K_{(p)})\) be the topological ring of degree-zero stable operations in \(p\)-local complex \(K\)-theory, endowed with a filtration topology introduced in the previous paper of the authors [Topology 44, 151--174 (2005; Zbl 1065.55011)], where \(p\) is an odd prime. By a discrete \(A\)-module one means an \(A\)-module \(M\) such that the action \(A\times M \to M\) is continuous (with respect to the discrete topology on \(M\) and the given topology on \(A\)). In this paper the authors study the category \({\mathcal{D}}A\) of these discrete \(A\)-modules. The authors first provide a useful characterization of such modules: an \(A\)-module is discrete if and only if it is locally finitely generated. From this it follows that the \(K_{(p)}\)-homology \(K_0(X; {\mathbb Z}_{(p)})\) of a spectrum \(X\) is a discrete \(A\)-module. This fact is just a reason the attention here is focused on discrete \(A\)-modules. Recall the category \({\mathcal{A}}(p)\) of a certain kind of \({\mathbb Z}_{(p)}[\mathbb Z_{(p)}^\times]\)-modules defined by \textit{A. K. Bousfield} [Am. J. Math. 10, 895--932 (1985; Zbl 0585.55004)] for the investigation of the \(K_{(p)}\)-local stable homotopy category. The main aim of the paper is to prove that \({\mathcal{A}}(p)\) is isomorphic to \({\mathcal{D}}A\). This proposes a new approach to some constructions in \textit{A. K. Bousfield} [op. cit.] and contributes to clarification and simplification of them. In particular this is exhibited in constructing a right adjoint functor \(U\) to the forgetful functor from \({\mathcal{A}}(p)\) to the category of \({\mathbb Z}_{(p)}\)-modules. In fact \(U\) is defined as a continuous \({\text{Hom}}\) functor from \({\mathcal{D}}A\) to the category of \({\mathbb Z}_{(p)}\)-modules. Using this functor the authors also construct the analogue of a four-term exact sequence in \({\mathcal{D}}A\). In addition it is shown that Bousfield's main result can be translated into the language of discrete \(A\)-modules. Finally the authors summarize the Adams summand analogues of these results in the Appendix.