|
Associated to a discrete group G, one has the topological category of finite
dimensional (unitary) G–representations and (unitary) isomorphisms. Block sums
provide this category with a permutative structure, and the associated K–theory
spectrum is Carlsson’s deformation K–theory Kdef(G). The goal of this paper is to
examine the behavior of this functor on free products. Our main theorem shows the
square of spectra associated to G*H (considered as an amalgamated product over the
trivial group) is homotopy cartesian. The proof uses a general result regarding group
completions of homotopy commutative topological monoids, which may be of some
independent interest.
|