Homotopy associative finite H-spaces and the mod 3 reduced power operations (Q1103225)

In 1965 \textit{E. Thomas} [Ann. Math., II Ser. 81, 473-495 (1965; Zbl 0127.135)] determined the action of the squaring operations on the mod 2 cohomology of a simply connected H-space with the primitively generated finite mod 2 cohomology. The paper deals with a simply connected homotopy associative H-space X with the finite mod 3 cohomology \(H^*(X\); Z/3) which is generated by \(A_ 3\)-classes, and it is shown that an analogous theorem to Thomas' one holds about the action of the mod 3 reduced power operations \({\mathcal P}^ n\) on \(H^*(X\); Z/3). Unlike the mod 2 case, the action of \({\mathcal P}^ n\) is determined only on the classes satisfying a certain condition. It is shown by studying \(H^*(Spin(2k);Z/3)\) for the spin group Spin(2k) that this condition cannot be dropped. To prove the theorem the mod 3 cohomology of the projective 3-space \(P_ 3X\) of X is studied. In particular, it is shown that there exists a quotient algebra of \(H^*(P_ 3X;Z/3)\) which is a truncated polynomial algebra of height 4 with an unstable action of the mod 3 Steenrod algebra \({\mathcal A}\). Then the theorem is proved from the purely algebraic theorem about the action of \({\mathcal P}^ n\) on a truncated polynomial algebra of height 4 with the unstable \({\mathcal A}\) action.