The stack of formal groups in stable homotopy theory (Q2383001)

Following the profound insights of Morava in the early 1970s, the central rôle played by formal group theory in connection with complex cobordism and its stable (co)operations has led to increasing use of ever more sophisticated machinery from algebraic geometry. Currently the theory of \textit{stacks} has moved into centre stage and the present paper provides a useful introduction to the ideas of algebraic stacks and its relevance (via the stack of formal groups) to stable homotopy theory. In particular, it is shown how structural properties of comodule categories recently discovered by Hovey and Strickland can be deduced from the existence of geometric stratifications of the stack, this is an algebraic precursor of much deeper implications for stable homotopy theory in the form of the nilpotence theory of Hopkins \textit{et al}. A diligent reader should find this a useful starting point for reading much of the recent literature on rigidifying ring spectra and derived algebraic geometric ideas in stable homotopy theory.