Given a height at most two Landweber exact $\mathbb {E}_\infty$-ring $E$ whose homotopy is concentrated in even degrees, we show that any complex orientation of $E$ which satisfies the Ando criterion admits a unique lift to an $\mathbb {E}_\infty$-complex orientation $\mathrm {MU} \to E$. As a consequence, we give a short proof that the level $n$ elliptic genus lifts uniquely to an $\mathbb {E}_\infty$-complex orientation $\mathrm {MU} \to \mathrm {tmf}_1 (n)$ for all $n\, {\geq}\, 2$.

Given any topological group G, the topological classification of principal G-bundles over a finite CW-complex X is long known to be given by the set of free homotopy classes of maps from X to the corresponding classifying space BG. This classical result has been long-used to provide such classification in terms of explicit characteristic classes. However, even when X has dimension 2, there is a case in which such explicit classification has not been explicitly considered. This is the case where G is a Lie group, whose group of components acts nontrivially on its fundamental group $\pi_1G$ . Here, we deal with this case and obtain the classification, in terms of characteristic classes, of principal G-bundles over a finite CW-complex of dimension 2, with G is a Lie group such that $\pi_0G$ is abelian.

In this paper we develop methods for classifying Baker, Richter, and Szymik's Azumaya algebras over a commutative ring spectrum, especially in the largely inaccessible case where the ring is nonconnective. We give obstruction-theoretic tools, constructing and classifying these algebras and their automorphisms with Goerss–Hopkins obstruction theory, and give descent-theoretic tools, applying Lurie's work on $\infty$-categories to show that a finite Galois extension of rings in the sense of Rognes becomes a homotopy fixed-point equivalence on Brauer spaces. For even-periodic ring spectra $E$, we find that the ‘algebraic’ Azumaya algebras whose coefficient ring is projective are governed by the Brauer–Wall group of $\pi _0(E)$, recovering a result of Baker, Richter, and Szymik. This allows us to calculate many examples. For example, we find that the algebraic Azumaya algebras over Lubin–Tate spectra have either four or two Morita equivalence classes, depending on whether the prime is odd or even, that all algebraic Azumaya algebras over the complex K-theory spectrum $KU$ are Morita trivial, and that the group of the Morita classes of algebraic Azumaya algebras over the localization $KU[1/2]$ is $\mathbb {Z}/8\times \mathbb {Z}/2$. Using our descent results and an obstruction theory spectral sequence, we also study Azumaya algebras over the real K-theory spectrum $KO$ which become Morita-trivial $KU$-algebras. We show that there exist exactly two Morita equivalence classes of these. The nontrivial Morita equivalence class is realized by an ‘exotic’ $KO$-algebra with the same coefficient ring as $\mathrm {End}_{KO}(KU)$. This requires a careful analysis of what happens in the homotopy fixed-point spectral sequence for the Picard space of $KU$, previously studied by Mathew and Stojanoska.

We give a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of an enhancement of a finite triangulated category. Moreover, we show that enhancements are unique when they exist, up to Morita equivalence.

Conjugation spaces are topological spaces equipped with an involution such that their fixed points have the same mod 2 cohomology (as a graded vector space, a ring and even an unstable algebra) but with all degrees divided by two, generalizing the classical examples of complex projective spaces under complex conjugation. Spaces which are constructed from unit balls in complex Euclidean spaces are called spherical and are very well understood. Our aim is twofold. We construct ‘exotic’ conjugation spaces and study the realization question: which spaces can be realized as real loci, i.e., fixed points of conjugation spaces. We identify obstructions and provide examples of spaces and manifolds which cannot be realized as such.

When can two fibrewise maps be deformed in a fibrewise fashion until they are coincidence free? In order to get a thorough understanding of this problem (and, more generally, of minimum numbers that are closely related to it) we study the strength of natural geometric obstructions, such as ω-invariants and Nielsen numbers, as well as the related Nielsen theory.

In the setting of sphere bundles, a certain degree map degB turns out to play a decisive role. In many explicit cases it also yields good descriptions of the set ℱ of fibrewise homotopy classes of fibrewise maps. We introduce an addition on ℱ, which is not always single valued but still very helpful. Furthermore, normal bordism Gysin sequences and (iterated) Freudenthal suspensions play a crucial role.

We show that there is an essentially unique S-algebra structure on the Morava K-theory spectrum K(n), while K(n) has uncountably many MU or -algebra structures. Here is the K(n)-localized Johnson–Wilson spectrum. To prove this we set up a spectral sequence computing the homotopy groups of the moduli space of A∞ structures on a spectrum, and use the theory of S-algebra k-invariants for connectiveS-algebras found in the work of Dugger and Shipley [Postnikov extensions of ring spectra, Algebr. Geom. Topol. 6 (2006), 1785–1829 (electronic)] to show that all the uniqueness obstructions are hit by differentials.

We prove the following two new optimal immersion results for complex projective space. First, if $n\equiv3\,\Mod 8$ but $n\not\equiv3\,\Mod 64$, and $\alpha(n)=7$, then $CP^{n}$ can be immersed in $\mathbb{R}^{4n-14}$. Second, if $n$ is even and $\alpha(n)=3$, then $CP^n$ can be immersed in $\mathbb{R}^{4n-4}$. Here $\alpha(n)$ denotes the number of 1s in the binary expansion of $n$. The first contradicts a result of Crabb, which said that such an immersion does not exist, apparently due to an arithmetical mistake. We combine Crabb's method with that developed by the author and Mahowald.

Our results are of three types. First, we describe a general procedure of adjoining polynomial variables to $A_\infty$-ring spectra whose coefficient rings satisfy certain restrictions. A host of examples of such spectra is provided by killing a regular ideal in the coefficient ring of $MU$, the complex cobordism spectrum. Second, we show that the algebraic procedure of adjoining roots of unity carries over in the topological context for such spectra. Third, we use the developed technology to compute the homotopy types of spaces of strictly multiplicative maps between suitable $K(n)$-localizations of such spectra. This generalizes the famous Hopkins–Miller theorem and gives strengthened versions of various splitting theorems.