L-theory

In mathematics, algebraic L-theory is the K-theory of quadratic forms; the term was coined by C. T. C. Wall, with L being used as the letter after K. Algebraic L-theory, also known as "Hermitian K-theory", is important in surgery theory. One can define L-groups for any ring with involution R: the quadratic L-groups (Wall) and the symmetric L-groups (Mishchenko, Ranicki). The even-dimensional L-groups are defined as the Witt groups of ε-quadratic forms over the ring R with . More precisely, is the abelian group of equivalence classes of non-degenerate ε-quadratic forms over R, where the underlying R-modules F are finitely generated free. The equivalence relation is given by stabilization with respect to hyperbolic ε-quadratic forms: The addition in is defined by The zero element is represented by for any . The inverse of is . Defining odd-dimensional L-groups is more complicated; further details and the definition of the odd-dimensional L-groups can be found in the references mentioned below. The L-groups of a group are the L-groups of the group ring . In the applications to topology is the fundamental group of a space . The quadratic L-groups play a central role in the surgery classification of the homotopy types of -dimensional manifolds of dimension , and in the formulation of the Novikov conjecture. The distinction between symmetric L-groups and quadratic L-groups, indicated by upper and lower indices, reflects the usage in group homology and cohomology. The group cohomology of the cyclic group deals with the fixed points of a -action, while the group homology deals with the orbits of a -action; compare (fixed points) and (orbits, quotient) for upper/lower index notation. The quadratic L-groups: and the symmetric L-groups: are related by a symmetrization map which is an isomorphism modulo 2-torsion, and which corresponds to the polarization identities. The quadratic and the symmetric L-groups are 4-fold periodic (the comment of Ranicki, page 12, on the non-periodicity of the symmetric L-groups refers to another type of L-groups, defined using "short complexes").