An \(R\)-motivic \(v_1\)-self-map of periodicity \(1\) (Q2670965)

The article discusses examples of so-called periodic maps in \(C_2\)-equivariant stable homotopy theory and motivic stable homotopy theory over the field of the real numbers. Both setups are related by a Betti realization functor, which is determined by sending a smooth real variety to its complex points, considered as a topological space with \(C_2\)-action defined by complex conjugation. Besides being a source for creating infinite families of nontrivial elements in stable homotopy groups of spheres, periodic maps lie at the centre of the ``chromatic'' picture of classical stable homotopy theory, which among other aspects involves the understanding of prime thick tensor ideals in the stable homotopy category. While the lattice of prime thick tensor ideals of the motivic stable homotopy category is still rather mysterious (even when restricting to the much smaller subcategory of cellular \(\mathbb{P}^1\)-spectra), it is well understood in the \(C_2\)-equivariant case; prime thick tensor ideals are essentially pulled back via the forgetful functor and the geometric fixed points functor from the classical stable homotopy category. The authors use this to define the ``type'' of a \(C_2\)-spectrum, and hence the ``type'' of a \(\mathbb{P}^1\)-spectrum over the real numbers via Betti realization. A similar procedure applies to self maps of such spectra, and their periodicity. Instead of recalling precise definitions, two sample theorems from the article should serve to illustrate the type of results. On the one hand, Theorem 1.10 is a non-existence result saying that the cone \(C(h)\) on the hyperbolic plane (a certain endomorphism of the motivic sphere spectrum) over the real numbers does not admit a \(v_{(1,0)}\)-self map. The situation for its Betti realization may be different, as some unpublished computational data on \(C_2\)-equivariant stable homotopy groups of spheres suggests. On the other hand, Theorem 1.11 provides a \(v_{(1,\mathrm{nil})}\)-self map \[ v\colon \Sigma^{2,1} \mathcal{Y}\to \mathcal{Y} \] of periodicity 1, where \(\mathcal{Y}=C(h)\wedge C(\eta)\) is the \(4\)-cell \(\mathbb{P}^1\)-spectrum obtained by smashing the cone \(C(\eta)\) on the Hopf map \(\eta\) (or, in other words, a \(\mathbb{P}^1\)-desuspension of the projective plane) with the cone \(C(h)\). Its Betti realization is thus \(\Sigma^{-3}\mathbb{RP}^2\wedge \mathbb{CP}^2\) which, after forgetting the \(C_2\)-action, admits 8 different \(v_1\)-self maps of periodicity 1 by work of \textit{D. M. Davis} and \textit{M. Mahowald} [Am. J. Math. 103, 615--659 (1981; Zbl 0481.55008)]. Crucial input is the subalgebra \(\mathcal{A}(1)\) generated by \(\mathrm{Sq}^1\) and \(\mathrm{Sq}^2\) of Voevodsky's motivic Steenrod algebra [\textit{V. Voevodsky}, Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 98, 1--57 (2003; Zbl 1057.14027)] of endomorphisms of the motivic Eilenberg-MacLane spectrum with coefficients in the field with two elements. Besides a characterization of freeness for finitely generated \(\mathcal{A}(1)\)-modules over the real numbers (which in fact even holds for \(\mathcal{A}(n)\), see Theorem 1.17), the authors construct a \(\mathbb{P}^1\)-spectrum over the real numbers whose \(\mathbb{F}_2\)-motivic cohomology is a free \(\mathcal{A}(1)\)-module on a single generator. (Indeed, the cone \(C(v)\) on the self map given above has this property by Theorem 1.14.) There are 128 possible \(\mathcal{A}\)-module structures on this object, and the accompanying article [\textit{P. Bhattacharya} et al., Trans. Am. Math. Soc., Ser. B 9, 700--732 (2022; Zbl 1501.55015)] provides 128 \(\mathbb{P}^1\)-spectra over the real numbers with the prescribed motivic cohomology.