Self-maps of \(p\)-local infinite projective spaces (Q424328)

It is a well-known fact that \(S^0\simeq\Omega\mathbb{R}\mathrm{P}^\infty\), \(S^1\simeq\Omega\mathbb{C}\mathrm{P}^\infty\), \(S^3\simeq\Omega\mathbb{H}\mathrm{P}^\infty\) and that these three are the only spheres which have a loop space structure. When it comes to \(p\)-local spheres \(S_{(p)}^m\), it is known that \(S_{(2)}^m\) has a loop space structure iff \(m=1,3\), and that, when \(p\) is an odd prime, \(S_{(p)}^m\) has a loop space structure iff \(m\) is odd, say \(m=2n-1\), and \(p\equiv1\pmod n\). For \(p\) odd and \(n\) such that \(p\equiv1\pmod n\), a \(p\)-local space whose loop space is (up to homotopy) \(S_{(p)}^{2n-1}\) was constructed by \textit{D. P. Sullivan} [Geometric topology. Localization, periodicity and Galois symmetry. The 1970 MIT Notes. Edited by A. Ranicki. Dordrecht: Springer (2005; Zbl 1078.55001)]. In the paper under review this space is denoted by \(B_{(p)}^{2n}\) and called \(p\)-local infinite projective space. The \(\mathbb{Z}_{(p)}\)-cohomology of \(B_{(p)}^{2n}\) is isomorphic to the polynomial algebra \(\mathbb{Z}_{(p)}[u]\) with \(|u|=2n\), and the degree of a self-map \(f\) of \(B_{(p)}^{2n}\) (\(f:B_{(p)}^{2n}\rightarrow B_{(p)}^{2n}\)) is defined by the equality \(f^*(u)=\deg f\cdot u\). So \(\deg f\in\mathbb{Z}_{(p)}\), and in the present paper, for a given \(k\in\mathbb{Z}_{(p)}\) the author investigates whether there exists a self-map of \(B_{(p)}^{2n}\) of degree \(k\). The complete answer is reached and the main theorem of the paper states that there is a self-map of \(B_{(p)}^{2n}\) of degree \(k\) if and only if \(k\) is an \(n\)-th power in \(\widehat{\mathbb{Z}}_p\) (\(p\)-localization \(\mathbb{Z}_{(p)}\) is canonically embedded in \(p\)-completion \(\widehat{\mathbb{Z}}_p\)). The sufficiency of the condition is proved by a direct construction of a self-map with desired degree, while the necessity is shown via complex \(K\)-theory and by considering the integer-valued polynomials on the set of \((p-1)\)-powers in \(\widehat{\mathbb{Z}}_p\).