Adams operations and \(\lambda \)-operations on classifying oriented cohomology theories (Q1004450)

The notion of an oriented cohomology theory on the category of smooth quasi-projective varieties over a field was introduced by Levine and Morel. They constructed a theory called algebraic cobordism \(\Omega^*(X)\) which serves as the universal oriented cohomology theory in the sense that for any such theory \(A^*\), there is a unique map \(\Omega^* \rightarrow A^*\) so that the induced map on the coefficient rings is precisely the map classifying the formal group law of \(A^*\). Some important results proved by Levine and Morel include the statements that the Chow ring \(CH^*\) is the universal additive theory, and algebraic \(K\)-theory \(K^0[\beta, \beta^{-1}]\) is the universal multiplicative periodic theory. In the paper under review, the author defines Adams operations on algebraic cobordisms with rational coefficients and shows that they descend to the oriented cohomology theories with rational coefficients which are universal with respect to their group law. In algebraic \(K\)-theory, there is an exterior power product. Grothendieck studied such rings by introducing the notion of \(\lambda\)-rings and \(\lambda\)-operations. But these operations are non-additive. The associated Adams operations \(\psi_n\) are ring morphisms which are easier to handle and the \(\lambda\)-operations can be recovered from the Adams operations under rational coefficients. The \(\psi\)-structure on \(\Omega^*_{\mathbb Q}\) induces a structure of special \(\lambda\)-ring. By taking the Levine-Morel degree homomorphism as augmentation, the author obtains a \(\gamma\)-filtration on \(\Omega^*_{\mathbb Q}\). He also proves that the \(\gamma\)-filtration on \(CH^*_{\mathbb Q}\) can be regarded as a deformation of the classical \(\gamma\)-filtration on \(K^0_{\mathbb Q}\).