EQUIVARIANT CALCULUS OF FUNCTORS AND-ANALYTICITY OF REAL ALGEBRAIC -THEORY

We define a theory of Goodwillie calculus for enriched functors from finite pointed simplicial $G$-sets to symmetric $G$-spectra, where $G$ is a finite group. We extend a notion of $G$-linearity suggested by Blumberg to define stably excisive and ${\it\rho}$-analytic homotopy functors, as well as a $G$-differential, in this equivariant context. A main result of the paper is that analytic functors with trivial derivatives send highly connected $G$-maps to $G$-equivalences. It is analogous to the classical result of Goodwillie that ‘functors with zero derivative are locally constant’. As the main example, we show that Hesselholt and Madsen’s Real algebraic $K$-theory of a split square zero extension of Wall antistructures defines an analytic functor in the $\mathbb{Z}/2$-equivariant setting. We further show that the equivariant derivative of this Real $K$-theory functor is $\mathbb{Z}/2$-equivalent to Real MacLane homology.

Goodwillie calculus and Whitehead products

We prove that iterated Whitehead products of length (