Flatness and Shipley's algebraicization theorem (Q2214747)

It has long been known that the derived category of a ring can be constructed from the stable homotopy category, [\textit{A. Robinson}, Math. Z. 196, 231--238 (1987; Zbl 0628.18007)]. \textit{B. Shipley} proved in [Am. J. Math. 129, No. 2, 351--379 (2007; Zbl 1120.55007)] that the model category of chain complexes of \(R\)-modules (\(R\) a ring) is Quillen equivalent to the model category of modules over the Eilenberg-Mac Lane spectrum \(HR\) in the category of symmetric spectra. At the level of homotopy categories this recovers Robinson's result, while allowing for generalisations such as proving that the model category of \(HR\)-algebras is Quillen equivalent to the model category of differential graded \(R\)-algebras. Shipey's result allowed for a partial extension to the case of commutative algebras when \(R=\mathbb{Q}\), but the substantially more complicated case of commutative algebras in general was left to \textit{B. Richter} and \textit{B. Shipley} [Algebr. Geom. Topol. 17, No. 4, 2013--2038 (2017; Zbl 1381.55007)]. In that work, Richter and Shipley showed that the model category of commutative \(HR\)-algebras is Quillen equivalent to the model category of differential graded \(E_\infty\)-algebras in \(R\)-modules. The use of algebras over an operad in this setting was to avoid the difficulties of making a model structure on commutative differential graded \(R\)-algebras when \(R\) is not rational. This gives two different proofs that modules over a commutative \(H\mathbb{Q}\)-algebra are modules over a commutative rational differential graded algebra. However, Shipley's approach does not preserve the monoidal structure on such modules and the approach of Richter and Shipley requires passage through \(E_\infty\)-algebras. The current paper resolves this by using the flat model structures (also called \(S\)-model structures) on spectra of \textit{B. Shipley} [Contemp. Math. 346, 473--483 (2004; Zbl 1063.55006)] and \textit{D. Pavlov} and \textit{J. Scholbach} [J. Inst. Math. Jussieu 18, No. 4, 707--758 (2019; Zbl 1503.55006)]. Specifically, the author proves three zig-zags of Quillen equivalences, as described below. In each case, the model structures on the various categories of spectra arise from the flat model structure and one does not need to consider \(E_\infty\)-algebras in the zig-zag. Firstly: the model category of \(H \mathbb{Q}\)-modules in symmetric spectra is symmetric monoidally Quillen equivalent to the model category of rational chain complexes. Secondly: the model category of commutative \(H \mathbb{Q}\)-algebras in symmetric spectra is Quillen equivalent to the model category of commutative rational differential graded algebras. Thirdly: for \(A\) a commutative \(H \mathbb{Q}\)-algebra in symmetric spectra, there is a commutative rational differential graded algebra \(B\) and a zig-zag of symmetric monoidal Quillen equivalences between \(A\)-modules in symmetric spectra and \(B\)-modules in rational chain complexes. The motivation for these refined results is their application to the area of algebraic models for rational equivariant spectra. The first such application is to resolve difficulties in comparing change of groups functors of rational equivariant spectra to functors on the algebraic models. The second application is to questions of algebraic models for commutative ring objects in rational equivariant spectra.