Higher homotopy commutativity of small ring spectra (Q2363406)

This paper investigates ring structures on the cofibre of a \(v_n\)-self map of a spectrum \(X\) with a homotopy commutative multiplication. For \(X\) a spectrum and \(E\) a free connected \(\mathbb{Z}/(2)\)-CW complex, an \(E\)-commutative ring spectrum structure on \(X\) is a pair of maps \[ E \ltimes_{\mathbb{Z}/(2)} (X \wedge X) \to X \qquad \Sigma^\infty S^0 \to X. \] These maps give a ring spectrum structure on \(X\). If \(X\) has a \(v_n\)-self-map \(g : \Sigma^{|g|} X \to X\) one can ask when the \(E\)-commutative ring spectrum structure on \(X\) induces an \(E\)-commutative ring spectrum structure on the cofibre of \(g^{k}\) for \(k\) a natural number. The main result of the paper states: if \(X\) is a 2-local \(E\)-commutative ring spectrum of type \(n\) with \(v_n\)-self-map \(g\), then there is an \(N>0\) such that for any \(m>0\) the cofibre of \(g^{mN}\) has an \(E\)-commutative ring spectrum structure extending that of \(X\). The author gives a stronger analogue in the odd prime case. A generalisation of an \(E\)-commutative ring spectrum structure is discussed, where a spectrum \(X\) has a \(j\)-fold product organised by some free connected \(\Sigma_j\)-CW complex \(E\). It is shown that for each prime \(p\) and \(i \geq 1\) there is an \(N\) such that \(M(p^i)\) does not have a \(p\)-fold multiplication for \(E\) the \(N\)-skeleton of \(E \Sigma_j\) (a free contractible \(\Sigma_j\)-complex). The author also discusses the situation of a spectrum \(X\) with compatible \(k_i\)-fold multiplications for \(k_1, k_2, \dots, k_n\) natural numbers and whether these multiplications can be extended to the cofibre of a \(v_n\)-self-map.