K-theory, reality, and duality

Abstract

AbstractWe present a new proof of Anderson's result that the real K-theory spectrum is Anderson self-dual up to a fourfold suspension shift; more strongly, we show that the Anderson dual of the complex K-theory spectrum KU is C2-equivariantly equivalent to Σ4KU, where C2 acts by complex conjugation. We give an algebro-geometric interpretation of this result in spectrally derived algebraic geometry and apply the result to calculate 2-primary Gross-Hopkins duality at height 1. From the latter we obtain a new computation of the group of exotic elements of the K(1)-local Picard group.