Multiplicativity of the idempotent splittings of the Burnside ring and the \(G\)-sphere spectrum (Q1735490)

Perhaps the most useful extension of \(E_\infty\)-ring spectra to the equivariant setting (for \(G\) a finite group) is the theory of \(N_\infty\)-ring spectra of \textit{A. J. Blumberg} and \textit{M. A. Hill} [Adv. Math. 285, 658--708 (2015; Zbl 1329.55012)]. Such a ring spectrum has a commutative multiplication (up to a suitable notion of homotopy) and multiplicative norm maps in the sense of \textit{M. A. Hill} et al. [Ann. Math. (2) 184, No. 1, 1--262 (2016; Zbl 1366.55007)]. The most structured are called \(G\)-\(E_\infty\)-ring spectra, whose homotopy theory is equivalent to that of commutative ring \(G\)-spectra. The sphere spectrum \(\mathbb{S}\) is the most immediate example. It is known that localisation can break this structure, in particular a localisation of the sphere spectrum may no longer have suitable norm maps for all pairs of subgroups \(K \leqslant H\). This paper examines the important case of localisation at primitive idempotents of the Burnside ring \(A(G)\). These idempotents are known via \textit{A. Dress} [Math. Z. 110, 213--217 (1969; Zbl 0174.30806)]. The main result (on the topological side) is that if \(L \leqslant G\) is a \(P\)-perfect subgroup (for some set of primes \(P\)) then in \(P\)-local \(G\)-spectra, the localised sphere spectrum \[ \mathbb{S}[e_L^{-1}] \] is an algebra over a certain \(N_\infty\)-operad \(\mathcal{O}_L\). This operad is defined via an indexing system whose admissible sets are isomorphic to coproducts of sets of the form \(H/K\) where \[ \text{If }L' \leqslant H\text{ is conjugate in }G\text{ to }L,\text{ then }L'\text{ is contained in }K. \] Hence, \(\mathbb{S}[e_L^{-1}]\) has multiplicative norm maps for those \(K \leqslant H\) satisfying the above condition. Since \(\pi_0^G(\mathbb{S})=A(G)\), this leads to a natural analogue in algebra. The Burnside ring of \(G\) not only has a commutative multiplication but it also has multiplicative transfer maps (induced from coinduction) \[ N_K^H \colon A(K) \longrightarrow A(H). \] The functor \(H \mapsto A(H)\) (for \(H\) a subgroup of \(G\)) is therefore not just a commutative Green functor, but a Tambara functor. If \(e \in A(G)\) is an idempotent, then one may construct a commutative Green functor by sending \(H\) to \(eA(H) = A(H)[e^{-1}]\). Then one can ask when the multiplicative transfer maps pass to this new object. The main algebraic result is that if \(e_L \in A(G)\) is an idempotent corresponding to a perfect subgroup \(L\), then the norm map \(N_K^H\) passes to a multiplicative map of monoids \[ N_K^H \colon A(K)[e_L^{-1}] \longrightarrow A(H)[e_L^{-1}] \] when \(K\) and \(H\) satisfy the same condition as given in the main topological result above. These norm maps give the localised Burnside ring functor the structure of an incomplete Tambara functor in the sense of \textit{A. J. Blumberg} and \textit{M. A. Hill} [Algebr. Geom. Topol. 18, No. 2, 723--766 (2018; Zbl 1388.55011)]. The paper starts with the algebraic case and then proves the topological case via lifting the argument on incomplete Tambara functors to statements about algebras over operads in \(G\)-spectra. The paper ends with an application to splittings of the category of \(G\)-spectra and some examples: the rational case, the case of \(A_5\) and the case of \(\Sigma_3\) at \(p=3\).