The mod 2 homology of BSO (Q4226344)

The \(\mathbb Z_2\)-homology of the classifying space \(BO\) is a polynomial ring, \(\mathbb Z_2[x_1, x_2, \dots ]\), where \(x_i \in H_i(BO; \mathbb Z_2)\) for \(i\geq 1\). \textit{S. Papastavridis} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 107, No. 4, 1071-1073 (1989; Zbl 0679.55013)] defined a sequence of elements \(y_n \in \text{image} (H_n(BSO; \mathbb Z_2)\rightarrow H_n(BO; \mathbb Z_2))\) for \(n\geq 2\), each \(y_n\) being a polynomial in the classes \(x_j\), such that \(H_\ast (BSO; \mathbb Z_2)\cong \mathbb Z_2[y_2, y_3, \dots]\). The paper under review gives another description of generators for \(H_\ast (BSO; \mathbb Z_2)\). The author associates with every \(n\geq 2\) a pair of integers, \((j,k)=(0,n)\) if \(n=2^r\) or \((j,k)=(2^r,s 2^{r+1})\) if \(n=(2s+1)2^r\), \(s\geq 1\). For any such \((j,k)\), let \(f: {\mathbb RP^j}\times {\mathbb RP^k} \rightarrow BO\) be a classifying map of the (orientable) \(3\)-plane bundle \(\xi_1 \oplus \xi_2 \oplus (\xi_1 \otimes \xi_2)\), where \(\xi_i\) is the obvious pullback of the Hopf line bundle over the \(i\)-th factor. The author defines \(z_n:= f_\ast [{\mathbb RP^j}\times {\mathbb RP^k}]\), which clearly is a class in \(\text{image} (H_n(BSO; \mathbb Z_2)\rightarrow H_n(BO; \mathbb Z_2))\), and proves that \(H_\ast (BSO; \mathbb Z_2)\cong {\mathbb Z_2}[z_2, z_3,\dots ]\). She also shows how to verify that the classes \(z_n\) in fact coincide with Papastavridis' classes \(y_n\).