On the homotopy type of L-spectra of the integers

Abstract

We show that quadratic and symmetric L-theory of the integers are related by Anderson duality and show that both spectra split integrally into the L-theory of the real numbers and a generalised Eilenberg-Mac Lane spectrum. As a consequence, we obtain a corresponding splitting of the space G/Top. Finally, we prove analogous results for the genuine L-spectra recently devised for the study of Grothendieck--Witt theory.