Bundles of spectra and algebraic \(K\)-theory (Q346702)

For a finite CW complex \(X\), the topological \(K\)-group \(K^0(X)\) is defined as the Grothendieck group \(\text{Gr}(M)\) of the abelian monoid \(M\) of isomorphism classes of complex finite-dimensional vector bundles over \(X\). Let \(K(R)\) denote the algebraic \(K\)-theory spectrum of a ring spectrum \(R\). The author attempts here to give a bundle theoretical description of the cohomology group \(K(R)^0(X)\) similar to that in the above topological case. By a parametrized spectrum \(E\) is meant a family of spectrum \(E_x\) continuously parametrized by the points \(x\in X\). Then an \(R\)-bundle \(E\) over \(X\) is defined as a parametrized spectrum with an associative and unital map \(R\wedge E\to E\) over \(X\). This \(R\)-bundle is said to be free of finite rank if every \(E_x\) is equivalent to \(R^{\vee n}\) for some \(n \geq0\). With these definitions the main result can be stated as follows: Let \(M\) be the abelian monoid consisting of the equivalence classes of lifted \(R\)-bundles over \(X\) which are free and finite rank. Then there is a natural isomorphism \[ K(R)^0(X)\cong \text{Gr}(M). \] Here \(\lq\lq\)lifted'' means that its pullback \((E, Y, p)\) along an acyclic fibration \(p : Y\to X\) is taken as an \(R\)-bundle \(E\) over \(X\). We know that \(K(R)^0(X)\) is the group of homotopy classes of maps from \(X\) to \(\Omega^\infty K(R)\) and in addition it holds that \[ \Omega^\infty K(R)\simeq K_0(R)\times B\text{GL}_\infty^+ (R). \] Denoting by \(\psi\) the function defined by taking a lifted free \(R\)-bundle \((E, Y, p)\) to the map sending \(x\in X\) to \(E_x\), the author obtains that it can be extended to an epimorphism \(\bar{\psi} : \text{Gr}(M) \to [X, K_0(R)]\) admitting a splitting. It is subsequently shown that \(\text{ker}\bar{\psi}\cong [X, B\text{GL}_\infty^+ (R)]\) and so by virtue of the equivalence formula for \(\Omega^\infty K(R)\) above we can get the required isomorphism. In consequence, we find that the lifted condition on \(E\) reflects the Quillen plus construction of \(B\text{GL}_\infty (R)\).