On the relation of symplectic algebraic cobordism to hermitian K-theory

Abstract: We reconstruct hermitian K-theory via algebraic symplectic cobordism. In the motivic stable homotopy category SH(S) there is a unique morphism g : MSp -> BO of commutative ring T- spectra which sends the Thom class th^{MSp} to the Thom class th^{BO}. We show that the induced morphism of bigraded cohomology theories MSp^{,} -> BO^{,} is isomorphic to the morphism of bigraded cohomology theories obtained by applying to MSp^{,} the "change of (simply graded) coefficients rings" MSp^{4*,2*} -> BO^{4*,2*}. This is an algebraic version of the theorem of Conner and Floyd reconstructing real K-theory via symplectic cobordism.