We extend the theory of Thom spectra and the associated obstruction theory for orientations in order to support the construction of the string orientation of tmf, the spectrum of topological modular forms. We also develop the analogous theory of Thom spectra and orientations for associative ring spectra. Our work is based on a new model of the Thom spectrum as a derived smash product. An earlier version of this paper was part of arXiv:0810.4535.
In his 1970 MIT notes @cite_23 , In the version available at http: www.maths.ed.ac.uk aar books gtop.pdf , see the note on page 236. Sullivan introduced the classical obstruction theory for orientations and suggested that Dold's theory of homotopy functors @cite_21 could be used to construct the space @math of @math -oriented spherical fibrations. He also mentioned that the technology to construct the delooping @math was on its way. Soon thereafter, May, Quinn, Ray, and Tornehave in @cite_20 constructed the space @math in the case that @math is an @math ring spectrum, and described the associated obstruction theory for orientations of spherical fibrations.
@cite_21 @cite_20 @cite_23
2904500875 1945101555 2552191425 2950941433
Goerss--Hopkins obstruction theory is a powerful tool for constructing structured ring spectra from purely algebraic data. Using the formalism of model @math -categories, we provide a generalization that applies in an arbitrary presentably symmetric monoidal stable @math -category (such as that of equivariant spectra or of motivic spectra). Let @math be a smooth scheme over an algebraically closed field @math of characteristic zero and @math a regular function, and write @math Crit @math , as a closed subscheme of @math . The motivic vanishing cycle @math is an element of the @math -equivariant motivic Grothendieck ring @math defined by Denef and Loeser math.AG 0006050 and Looijenga math.AG 0006220, and used in Kontsevich and Soibelman's theory of motivic Donaldson-Thomas invariants, arXiv:0811.2435. We prove three main results: (a) @math depends only on the third-order thickenings @math of @math . (b) If @math is another smooth scheme, @math is regular, @math Crit @math , and @math is an embedding with @math and @math an isomorphism, then @math equals @math "twisted" by a motive associated to a principal @math -bundle defined using @math , where now we work in a quotient ring @math of @math . (c) If @math is an "oriented algebraic d-critical locus" in the sense of Joyce arXiv:1304.4508, there is a natural motive @math , such that if @math is locally modelled on Crit @math , then @math is locally modelled on @math . Using results from arXiv:1305.6302, these imply the existence of natural motives on moduli schemes of coherent sheaves on a Calabi-Yau 3-fold equipped with "orientation data", as required in Kontsevich and Soibelman's motivic Donaldson-Thomas theory arXiv:0811.2435, and on intersections of oriented Lagrangians in an algebraic symplectic manifold. This paper is an analogue for motives of results on perverse sheaves of vanishing cycles proved in arXiv:1211.3259. We extend this paper to Artin stacks in arXiv:1312.0090. Author(s): Mazel-Gee, Aaron | Advisor(s): Teichner, Peter | Abstract: We develop a theory of model ∞-categories -- that is, of model structures on ∞-categories -- which provides a robust theory of resolutions entirely native to the ∞-categorical context. Using model ∞-categories, we generalize Goerss--Hopkins obstruction theory from spectra to an arbitrary (presentably symmetric monoidal stable) ∞-category. We give a sample application of this generalized obstruction theory in the setting of motivic homotopy theory, where we construct E_∞ structures on the motivic Morava E-theories and compute their automorphism spaces (as E_∞ algebras). For a simply-connected simple algebraic group @math over @math , we exhibit a subvariety of its affine Grassmannian that is closely related to the nilpotent cone of @math , generalizing a well-known fact about @math . Using this variety, we construct a sheaf-theoretic functor that, when combined with the geometric Satake equivalence and the Springer correspondence, leads to a geometric explanation for a number of known facts (mostly due to Broer and Reeder) about small representations of the dual group.