Symplectic and orthogonal \(K\)-groups of the integers (Q2331823)

Let $\mathrm{Sp}(\mathbb{Z})$, $O_{\infty,\infty}(\mathbb{Z})$, $O_{\infty}(\mathbb{Z})$ be the infinite symplectic, $<1,-1>$ orthogonal and hyperbolic orthogonal groups over $\mathbb{Z}$. The purpose of this note is to compute explicitly the homotopy groups of the infinite loop spaces $B\mathrm{Sp}(\mathbb{Z})^+$, $BO_{\infty,\infty}(\mathbb{Z})^+$, $BO_{\infty}(\mathbb{Z})^+$, which are known to be finitely generated abelian groups. The first main result is the complete list of the homotopy groups $\pi_nB\mathrm{Sp}(\mathbb{Z})^+$ and $\pi_nBO_{\infty,\infty}(\mathbb{Z})^+$ for all $n$ mod 8, roughly speaking in terms of the groups $K_n(\mathbb{Z})$. Recall that, modulo finite groups of odd order which are conjecturally trivial, these $K_n(\mathbb{Z})$ can in turn be expressed in terms of $\mathbb{Z}/d_n$, where $d_n$ is the denominator of $\frac{1}{n+1} B_{\frac{n+1}{4}}$, $B_k$ denoting the $k$-th Bernoulli number. As for the groups $\pi_nB O_{\infty}(\mathbb{Z})^+$, the map that sends a quadratic form to its associated symmetric bilinear form induces a map of $K$-theory spaces which realizes an isomorphism $\pi_nB O_{\infty}(\mathbb{Z})^+ \cong \pi_nB O_{\infty,\infty}(\mathbb{Z})^+$ in degree $n \geq 2$ and the monomorphism $(\mathbb{Z}/2)^2\subset (\mathbb{Z}/2)^3$ in degree $n=1$. The proof proceeds in two steps. Concerning the odd torsion part, the author proves that for the ring of integers $R$ of a number field and any odd prime $l$, $GW_n(R)\{l\} \cong K \mathrm{Sp}_n(R){l} \cong K Q_n(R)\{l\} \cong K_n(R)\{l\}$ if $n \equiv 0,3$ mod 4, and 0 if $n \equiv 1,2$ mod 4. Concerning the 2-primary part, he uses previous results of his to show that the homomorphism $\mathbb{Z} \to \mathbb{Z}'= \mathbb{Z}[\frac12]$ induces after 2-adic completion isomorphisms $K \mathrm{Sp}_n(\mathbb{Z})^{\wedge}_2 \cong K \mathrm{Sp}_n(\mathbb{Z}')^{\wedge}_2$ for $n \geq 0$, $GW_n(\mathbb{Z})^{\wedge}_2 \cong GW_n(\mathbb{Z}')^{\wedge}_2$ for $n \geq 1$, and $K Q_n(\mathbb{Z})^{\wedge}_2 \cong K Q_n(\mathbb{Z}')^{\wedge}_2$ for $n\geq 2$.