Spaces over a category and assembly maps in isomorphism conjectures in \(K\)- and \(L\)-theory (Q1272517)

For a group \(G\) the orbit category \(\text{Or} (G)\), as introduced by \textit{G. E. Bredon} [``Equivariant cohomology theories'', Lect. Notes Math. 34 (1967; Zbl 0162.27202)], has as objects homogeneous spaces \(G/H\), considered as left \(G\)-sets, and as morphisms \(G\)-maps. Covariant functors from \(\text{Or} (G)\) of a discrete group \(G\) to abelian groups are, e.g., given by algebraic \(K\)-theory \(K_i(\mathbb ZH)\), algebraic \(L\)-theory \(L_i(\mathbb ZH)\), and the \(K\)-theory \(K_i^{\text{top}}(C_r^*(H))\) of the reduced \(C^*\)-algebra of \(H\). In each case the authors decompose the functor into a composite \(\text{Or} (G) \rightarrow \text{SPECTRA}\) followed by the \(i\)-th homotopy group. This allows a unified approach to various isomorphism conjectures: Let \(\mathcal F\) be a family of subgroups of \(G\), closed under taking subgroups and conjugation. Given a covariant functor \({\mathbf E}: \text{Or} (G) \rightarrow \text{SPECTRA}\) the authors define a functor \(\mathbf E_{\%}: G \text{-spaces} \rightarrow \text{SPECTRA}\) via \(X \mapsto (G/H \rightarrow X^H)_{+}\otimes_{\text{Or} (G)}\mathbf E\). Let \(E(G,\mathcal F)\) denote the classifying space for the family \(\mathcal F\) of subgroups. The map \[ \pi_{*}\mathbf E_{\%}(E(G,\mathcal F)) \rightarrow \pi_{*}\mathbf E_{\%}(G/G) \] induced by applying \(\mathbf E_{\%}\) to the constant map is called the \((\mathbf E,\mathcal F,G)\)-assembly map, and the \((\mathbf E,\mathcal F,G)\)-isomorphism conjecture holds if this assembly map is an isomorphism. Taking for \(\mathcal F\) the family of virtual cyclic subgroups of \(G\) and for \(\mathbf E\) the \(K\)- and \(L\)-theory spectra one obtains the isomorphism conjectures of \textit{F. T. Farrell} and \textit{L. E. Jones} [``Isomorphism conjectures in algebraic \(K\)-theory'', J. Am. Math. Soc. 6, No. 2, 249-297 (1993; Zbl 0798.57018)], and taking for \(\mathcal F\) the family of finite subgroups of \(G\) and for \(\mathbf E\) the \(\text{Or} (G)\)-spectra associated with the \(K\)-theory of \(C^*\)-algebras, one obtains the Baum-Connes conjecture. The authors give various characterizations of the general assembly map: in terms of homotopy colimits, in terms of a generalized homology theory over a suitable category and by a universal property.