Global structure of the mod two symmetric algebra, \(H^\ast(BO;\mathbb F_2)\) over the Steenrod Algebra (Q1880608)

The authors determine a mimimal presentation of the mod~\(2\) cohomology of the classifying space \(BO\) within the category of unstable algebras over the mod~\(2\) Steenrod algebra \({\mathcal A}\). More specifically they show that \(H^*(BO)\) is isomorphic to the free unstable \({\mathcal A}\)-algebra generated by the Stiefel-Whitney classes \(\{ w_{2^k}; k\geq 0\}\) modulo the ideal generated by a two-parameter family of relations \(\{\theta_{i,j}; i,j \geq 0\}\), where \(\theta_{i,j}\) expresses the sum \(Sq^{2^j} w_{2^i} + Sq^{2^{i-1}} Sq^{2^j} w_{2^{i-1}}\) as a sum of decomposables. The authors then use this result to find corresponding minimal unstable \({\mathcal A}\)-algebra presentations also for \(H^*(BO(m)), m\geq 1\) and for the subalgebras \(B^*(n) \subset H^*(BO\langle \phi(n) \rangle), n\geq 1\), where \(B^*(n)\) by definition is the image of the map in mod~\(2\) cohomology induced by the canonical map from the \(n\)-th distinct connected cover \(BO\langle \phi(n) \rangle\) of \(BO\) down to \(BO\). As an application of the latter they show that the pushout of the homomorphisms \(H^*(BO) \to H^*(BO(2^{n+1}-1))\) and \(H^*(BO) \to B^*(n)\) can be identified with the \(n\)-th Dickson algebra \(W_{n+1}\), thereby using a characterization of the Dickson algebra \(W_{n+1}\) given in [\textit{D.~Pengelley, F.~Peterson} and \textit{F.~Williams}, Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 129, 263--275 (2000; Zbl 0970.55010)]. In addition they use their results to provide a mimimal unstable \({\mathcal A}\)-module presentation for \(H^*({\mathbb R}P^\infty)\) as well as for some of its subquotients. The corresponding proofs are based on calculations involving the Kudo-Araki-May algebra, which already has been investigated in detail by the authors in [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 352, 1453--1492, (2000; Zbl 0946.55012)].