On transfer maps in the algebraic \(K\)-theory of spaces (Q2223532)

The paper under review discusses various fundamental properties of transfer maps in the algebraic \(K\)-theory of spaces (also referred to as \(A\)-theory) as introduced by Waldhausen. The \(A\)-theory \(A(X)\) of a space \(X\) is defined as the Waldhausen \(K\)-theory of a suitable category of retractive spaces over \(X\) which satisfy certain finiteness assumptions, and the construction \(X \mapsto A(X)\) determines a functor from spaces to connective spectra. \(A\)-theory plays an important role both in homotopy theory and geometric topology. For instance, there is an equivalence of spectra \(A(\ast) \simeq K(\mathbb{S})\). In general, if \(X\) is a space, then there is a map \(\mathbb{S}[X] \to A(X)\) whose cofiber is the Whitehead spectrum \(\mathrm{Wh}^{\mathrm{Diff}}(X)\) by definition. If \(X\) is a compact smooth manifold, then the underlying space of \(\Omega \mathrm{Wh}^{\mathrm{Diff}}(X)\) is equivalent to the parametrized \(h\)-cobordism space of \(X\) [\textit{F. Waldhausen} et al., Spaces of PL manifolds and categories of simple maps. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press (2013; Zbl 1309.57001)]. The map \(\mathbb{S}[X] \to A(X)\) admits a natural retraction up to homotopy \(\mathrm{Tr}_X : A(X) \to \mathbb{S}[X]\) which is referred to as the Waldhausen trace map, so there is an equivalence \(A(X) \simeq \mathbb{S}[X] \oplus \mathrm{Wh}^{\mathrm{Diff}}(X)\). An important property of \(A\)-theory is that it admits additional functoriality in certain fibrations of spaces. More precisely, if \(p : E \to B\) is a fibration with finite homotopy fibers, then there is a map \(p^\ast : A(B) \to A(E)\) obtained by pulling back a retractive space over \(B\) to a retractive space over \(E\). This map is referred to as the \(A\)-theory transfer map. The following composition \[ \mathbb{S}[B] \to A(B) \xrightarrow{p^\ast} A(E) \xrightarrow{\mathrm{Tr}_X} \mathbb{S}[E] \] is naturally homotopic to the Becker-Gottlieb transfer map \(\mathrm{tr}_p : \mathbb{S}[B] \to \mathbb{S}[E]\) associated to \(p\) by [\textit{J. A. Lind} and \textit{C. Malkiewich}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 371, No. 4, 2503--2552 (2019; Zbl 1412.55014)]. The main result of the present paper establishes a similar result for the Waldhausen trace map. More precisely, if \(p : E \to B\) is a fibration with finite homotopy fibers as before, then the following square \[ \begin{tikzcd} A(B) \arrow[d, "p^\ast"] \arrow[r, "\mathrm{Tr}_B"] & {\mathbb{S}[B]} \arrow[d, "\mathrm{tr}_p"] \\ A(E) \arrow[r, "\mathrm{Tr}_E"] & {\mathbb{S}[E]} \end{tikzcd} \] commutes up to \textit{weak} homotopy. The author raises the question whether the square above commutes up to homotopy rather than weak homotopy, and if this can be answered affirmatively, whether there is a choice of homotopy which is natural in \(p\) with respect to operations such as composition and pullback.