Geometric Topology: Localization, Periodicity and Galois Symmetry: The 1970 MIT Notes (K-Monographs in Mathematics)

The seminal ‘MIT notes’ of Dennis Sullivan were issued in June 1970 and were widely circulated at the time. The notes had a - jor in?uence on the development of both algebraic and geometric topology, pioneering the localization and completion of spaces in homotopy theory, including p-local, pro?nite and rational homotopy theory, le- ing to the solution of the Adams conjecture on the relationship between vector bundles and spherical ?brations, the formulation of the ‘Sullivan conjecture’ on the contractibility of the space of maps from the classifying space of a ?nite group to a ?nite dimensional CW complex, theactionoftheGalois groupoverQofthealgebraicclosureQof Q on smooth manifold structures in pro?nite homotopy theory, the K-theory orientation ofPL manifolds and bundles. Some of this material has been already published by Sullivan him- 1 self: in an article in the Proceedings of the 1970 Nice ICM, and in the 1974 Annals of Mathematics papers Genetics of homotopy theory and the Adams conjecture and The transversality character- 2 istic class and linking cycles in surgery theory . Many of the ideas originating in the notes have been the starting point of subsequent 1 reprinted at the end of this volume 2 joint with John Morgan vii viii 3 developments . However, the text itself retains a unique ?avour of its time, and of the range of Sullivan’s ideas. The seminal MIT notes of Dennis Sullivan were issued in June 1970 and were widely circulated at the time. The notes had a - jor in?uence on the development of both algebraic and geometric topology, pioneering the localization and completion of spaces in homotopy theory, including p-local, pro?nite and rational homotopy theory, le- ing to the solution of the Adams conjecture on the relationship between vector bundles and spherical ?brations, the formulation of the Sullivan conjecture on the contractibility of the space of maps from the classifying space of a ?nite group to a ?nite dimensional CW complex, theactionoftheGalois groupoverQofthealgebraicclosureQof Q on smooth manifold structures in pro?nite homotopy theory, the K-theory orientation ofPL manifolds and bundles. Some of this material has been already published by Sullivan him- 1 self: in an article in the Proceedings of the 1970 Nice ICM, and in the 1974 Annals of Mathematics papers Genetics of homotopy theory and the Adams conjecture and The transversality character- 2 istic class and linking cycles in surgery theory . Many of the ideas originating in the notes have been the starting point of subsequent 1 reprinted at the end of this volume 2 joint with John Morgan vii viii 3 developments . However, the text itself retains a unique ?avour of its time, and of the range of Sullivan s ideas." The seminal `MIT notes' of Dennis Sullivan were issued in June 1970 and were widely circulated at the time, but only privately. The notes had a major influence on the development of both algebraic and geometric topology, pioneering the localization and completion of spaces in homotopy theory, including P-local, profinite and rational homotopy theory, the Galois action on smooth manifold structures in profinite homotopy theory, and the K-theory orientation of PL manifolds and bundles. This is the first time that this major work has actually been published, and made available to anyone interested in topology. By Dennis P. Sullivan ; Edited By Andrew Ranicki. Includes Bibliographical References.