A guide to telescopic functors (Q1004513)

In the mid 1980s, P. Bousfield and N. Kuhn constructed certain \(p\)-local `telescopic' functors \(\Phi_n\) from the topological category of spaces (compactly generated topological spaces) to the topological category of spectra \(({\mathcal N}\)-spectra in the sense of MMSS), for each prime \(p\), and each \(n\geq 1\). They are constructed using the full strength of the nilpotence and periodicity theorems of Devanitz-Hopkins-Smith and have some striking properties that relate the chromatic approach to homotopy theory to infinite loop space theory. Recently there have been a variety of new uses of these functors, suggesting that they have a central role to play in calculations of periodic phenomena. Here, the author offers a guide to their construction, characterization, application, and computation.