The unstable Adams spectral sequence for two-stage towers (Q1962092)

This paper studies the relationship between the mod \(2\) unstable Adams spectral sequences for a pair of spaces \(X\) and \(Y\) where \(X\) is simply connected with polynomial cohomology and \(Y\) is the fibre of a map from \(X\) to a generalized Eilenberg-MacLane space which satisfies the hypothesis of the Massey-Peterson theorem. The main result is, for some \(X\), a splitting of the \(E_2\) term for \(Y\) and a method for almost completely determining \(d_2\). The proof is by means of a careful choice of Adams resolutions for \(X\) and \(Y\). As an application a proof is given of part of a conjecture of Bousfield describing the \(E_2\) term of the unstable Adams spectral sequence for \(SO\).