In this paper, we first recognize the phenomenon that if we start from any degree and apply repeatedly at most times, then we get into the region in which all the iterated squaring operations are isomorphisms on the coinvariants of the -representations. As a consequence, every finite -family in the coinvariants has at most nonzero elements. Two applications are exploited.
The first main theorem is that is not an isomorphism for . Furthermore, for every 5$\">, there are infinitely many degrees in which is not an isomorphism. We also show that if detects a nonzero element in certain degrees of , then it is not a monomorphism and further, for each ell$\">, is not a monomorphism in infinitely many degrees.
The second main theorem is that the elements of any -family in the cohomology of the Steenrod algebra, except at most its first elements, are either all detected or all not detected by , for every . Applications of this study to the cases and show that does not detect the three families , and , and that does not detect the family .
Let be Singer's invariant-theoretic model of the dual of the lambda algebra with , where denotes the mod 2 Steenrod algebra. We prove that the inclusion of the Dickson algebra, , into is a chain-level representation of the Lannes-Zarati dual homomorphism
The Lannes-Zarati homomorphisms themselves, , correspond to an associated graded of the Hurewicz map
Based on this result, we discuss some algebraic versions of the classical conjecture on spherical classes, which states that Only Hopf invariant one and Kervaire invariant one classes are detected by the Hurewicz homomorphism. One of these algebraic conjectures predicts that every Dickson element, i.e. element in , of positive degree represents the homology class in for 2$\">.
We also show that factors through , where denotes the differential of . Therefore, the problem of determining should be of interest.
Let the mod 2 Steenrod algebra, , and the general linear group, , act on with in the usual manner. We prove the conjecture of the first-named author in Spherical classes and the algebraic transfer, (Trans. Amer. Math Soc. 349 (1997), 3893-3910) stating that every element of positive degree in the Dickson algebra is -decomposable in for arbitrary 2$\">. This conjecture was shown to be equivalent to a weak algebraic version of the classical conjecture on spherical classes, which states that the only spherical classes in are the elements of Hopf invariant one and those of Kervaire invariant one.