A Descent Theorem in Topological K-Theory

We prove the Lichtenbaum–Quillen conjecture in the topological context: in other words, real K-theory can be deduced from complex K-theory via the usual descent spectral sequence. More precise results are proved, however, and new applications are stated. The main ingredients in the proof are Atiyah's KR-theory and the definition of higher K-groups via Clifford algebras.