Parametrized spectra, multiplicative Thom spectra and the twisted Umkehr map

Abstract

We introduce a general theory of parametrized objects in the setting of $\infty$–categories. Although parametrised spaces and spectra are the most familiar examples, we establish our theory in the generality of families of objects of a presentable $\infty$–category parametrized over objects of an $\infty$–topos. We obtain a coherent functor formalism describing the relationship of the various adjoint functors associated to base-change and symmetric monoidal structures.

Our main applications are to the study of generalized Thom spectra. We obtain fiberwise constructions of twisted Umkehr maps for twisted generalized cohomology theories using a geometric fiberwise construction of Atiyah duality. In order to characterize the algebraic structures on generalized Thom spectra and twisted (co)homology, we express the generalized Thom spectrum as a categorification of the well-known adjunction between units and group rings.