A note on the non-trivial elements in the cohomology groups of the Steenrod algebra

TL;DR

This paper investigates the algebraic transfer in the cohomology of the Steenrod algebra, providing new computational evidence that it detects specific non-trivial elements in Ext-groups for degree s=5, extending understanding of its behavior.

Contribution

The paper introduces a new method to analyze the image of the algebraic transfer Tr_5, demonstrating its ability to detect certain non-zero elements in Ext-groups, and suggests applicability for higher degrees.

Findings

Tr_5 detects specific non-zero elements in Ext-groups.

The method extends to homological degrees s≥6 under certain conditions.

Provides computational evidence supporting the algebraic transfer's effectiveness.

Abstract

Let $F_2$ be the prime field of two elements and let $GL_s:= GL(s, F_2)$ be the general linear group of rank $s.$ Denote by $\mathscr A$ the Steenrod algebra over $F_2.$ The (mod-2) Lambda algebra, $\Lambda,$ is one of the tools to describe those mysterious "Ext-groups". In addition, the $s$-th algebraic transfer of William Singer \cite{Singer} is also expected to be a useful tool in the study of them. This transfer is a homomorphism $Tr_s: F_2 \otimes_{GL_s}P_{\mathscr A}(H_{*}(B\mathbb V_s, F_2))\to {\rm Ext}_{\mathscr {A}}^{s,s+*}(F_2, F_2),$ where $\mathbb V_s$ denotes the elementary abelian $2$-group of rank $s$, and $H_*(B\mathbb V_s)$ is the homology group of the classifying space of $\mathbb V_s,$ while $P_{\mathscr A}(H_{*}(B\mathbb V_s, F_2))$ means the primitive part of $H_{*}(B\mathbb V_s, F_2)$ under the action of $\mathscr A.$ It has been shown that $Tr_s$ is highly non-trivial and, more precisely, that $Tr_s$ is an isomorphism for $s\leq 3.$ In addition, Singer proved that $Tr_4$ is an isomorphism in some internal degrees. He was also investigated the image of the fifth transfer by using invariant theory. In this note, we use another method to study the image of $Tr_5.$ More precisely, by direct computations using a representation of $Tr_5$ over the algebra $\Lambda,$ we show that $Tr_5$ detects the non-zero elements $h_0d_0\in {\rm Ext}_{\mathscr A}^{5, 5+14}(F_2, F_2),\ h_2e_0\in {\rm Ext}_{\mathscr A}^{5, 5+20}(F_2, F_2)$ and $h_1h_4c_0\in {\rm Ext}_{\mathscr A}^{5, 5+24}(F_2, F_2).$ The same argument can be used for homological degrees $s\geq 6$ under certain conditions.