Stable homotopy theories and stabilization (Q674472)

As a target for the introduction of the notion of an abstract homotopy theory, one has simplifications for the study of stable homotopy theory [see: \textit{A. Heller}, ``Homotopy theories'', Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 383 (1988; Zbl 0643.55015)]. In the present paper, the 2-categories play an important rôle and one can see how homotopy theories are 0-cells of a 2-category. Stable homotopy theories (i.e., pointed theories for which the suspension is an equivalence) are shown to form a reflective sub 2-category. For a theory \({\mathcal T}\), the stabilization \({\mathcal T}\to \text{Stab}{\mathcal T}\) is characterized by means of a universal property. Interesting corollaries of the stabilization theorem are proofs of several properties on the smash product in the standard stable homotopy theory.