Universality of mod- p cohomology

Abstract

Let p be an odd prime number. We relate the algebraic notion of a mod- p formal group law and the topological notion of a mod- p oriented ring spectrum. It is shown that there exists a universal mod- p oriented ring spectrum MO p which splits as a wedge sum of Eilenberg–MacLane spectra. The mod- p Eilenberg–MacLane spectrum is shown to be the universal mod- p oriented ring spectrum with an additive mod- p formal group law.