Factoring the Becker-Gottlieb Transfer Through the Trace Map

Abstract

We verify the Becker-Shultz axioms characterizing the Becker-Gottlieb transfer $\tau$ for the composite of the algebraic K-theory transfer of any perfect fibration followed by the trace map. As a consequence, for any compact ANR fibration (those considered by Becker-Shultz), $\tau$ is homotopy equivalent to the composite of the algebraic K-theory transfer followed by the trace map. Furthermore, if these same axioms (including strong additivity) could be shown to extend to characterizing $\tau$ for arbitrary perfect fibrations, our homotopy equivalence extends to the case of arbitrary perfect fibrations as well.