We give a new description of Rosenthals generalized homotopy fixed point spaces as homotopy limits over the orbit category. This is achieved using a simple categorical model for classifying spaces with respect to families of subgroups.
If K is a discrete group and Z is a K-spectrum, then the homotopy fixed point spectrum Z^{hK} is Map_*(EK_+, Z)^K, the fixed points of a familiar expression. Similarly, if G is a profinite group and X is a discrete G-spectrum, then X^{hG} is often gi
ven by (H_{G,X})^G, where H_{G,X} is a certain explicit construction given by a homotopy limit in the category of discrete G-spectra. Thus, in each of two common equivariant settings, the homotopy fixed point spectrum is equal to the fixed points of an explicit object in the ambient equivariant category. We enrich this pattern by proving in a precise sense that the discrete G-spectrum H_{G,X} is just a profinite version of Map_*(EK_+, Z): at each stage of its construction, H_{G,X} replicates in the setting of discrete G-spectra the corresponding stage in the formation of Map_*(EK_+, Z) (up to a certain natural identification).
For a profinite group $G$, let $(text{-})^{hG}$, $(text{-})^{h_dG}$, and $(text{-})^{hG}$ denote continuous homotopy fixed points for profinite $G$-spectra, discrete $G$-spectra, and continuous $G$-spectra (coming from towers of discrete $G$-spectra)
, respectively. We establish some connections between the first two notions, and by using Postnikov towers, for $K vartriangleleft_c G$ (a closed normal subgroup), give various conditions for when the iterated homotopy fixed points $(X^{hK})^{hG/K}$ exist and are $X^{hG}$. For the Lubin-Tate spectrum $E_n$ and $G <_c G_n$, the extended Morava stabilizer group, our results show that $E_n^{hK}$ is a profinite $G/K$-spectrum with $(E_n^{hK})^{hG/K} simeq E_n^{hG}$, by an argument that possesses a certain technical simplicity not enjoyed by either the proof that $(E_n^{hK})^{hG/K} simeq E_n^{hG}$ or the Devinatz-Hopkins proof (which requires $|G/K| < infty$) of $(E_n^{dhK})^{h_dG/K} simeq E_n^{dhG}$, where $E_n^{dhK}$ is a construction that behaves like continuous homotopy fixed points. Also, we prove that (in general) the $G/K$-homotopy fixed point spectral sequence for $pi_ast((E_n^{hK})^{hG/K})$, with $E_2^{s,t} = H^s_c(G/K; pi_t(E_n^{hK}))$ (continuous cohomology), is isomorphic to both the strongly convergent Lyndon-Hochschild-Serre spectral sequence of Devinatz for $pi_ast(E_n^{dhG})$, with $E_2^{s,t} = H^s_c(G/K; pi_t(E_n^{dhK}))$, and the descent spectral sequence for $pi_ast((E_n^{hK})^{hG/K})$.
Among the generalizations of Serres theorem on the homotopy groups of a finite complex we isolate the one proposed by Dwyer and Wilkerson. Even though the spaces they consider must be 2-connected, we show that it can be used to both recover known res
ults and obtain new theorems about p-completed classifying spaces.
Baez asks whether the Euler characteristic (defined for spaces with finite homology) can be reconciled with the homotopy cardinality (defined for spaces with finite homotopy). We consider the smallest infinity category $text{Top}^text{rx}$ containing
both these classes of spaces and closed under homotopy pushout squares. In our main result, we compute the K-theory $K_0(text{Top}^text{rx})$, which is freely generated by equivalence classes of connected p-finite spaces, as p ranges over all primes. This provides a negative answer to Baezs question globally, but a positive answer when we restrict attention to a prime.
We give a method for computing the C_2-equivariant homotopy groups of the Betti realization of a p-complete cellular motivic spectrum over R in terms of its motivic homotopy groups. More generally, we show that Betti realization presents the C_2-equi
variant p-complete stable homotopy category as a localization of the p-complete cellular real motivic stable homotopy category.