Topological Hochschild homology, truncated Brown-Peterson spectra, and a topological Sen operator

Abstract

In this article, we study the topological Hochschild homology of $\mathbf{E}_3$-forms of truncated Brown-Peterson spectra, taken relative to certain Thom spectra $X(p^n)$ (introduced by Ravenel and used by Devinatz-Hopkins-Smith in the proof of the nilpotence theorem). We prove analogues of B\"okstedt's calculations $\mathrm{THH}(\mathbf{F}_p) \simeq \mathbf{F}_p[\Omega S^3]$ and $\mathrm{THH}(\mathbf{Z}_p) \simeq \mathbf{Z}_p[\Omega S^3\langle{3}\rangle]$. We also construct a topological analogue of the Sen operator of Bhatt-Lurie-Drinfeld, and study a higher chromatic extension. The behavior of these "topological Sen operators" is dictated by differentials in the Serre spectral sequence for Cohen-Moore-Neisendorfer fibrations.