Function spectra and continuous G-spectra

Abstract: Let G be a profinite group, {X_alpha}_alpha a cofiltered diagram of discrete G-spectra, and Z a spectrum with trivial G-action. We show how to define the homotopy fixed point spectrum F(Z, holim_alpha X_alpha)^{hG} and that when G has finite virtual cohomological dimension (vcd), it is equivalent to F(Z, holim_alpha (X_alpha)^{hG}). With these tools, we show that the K(n)-local Spanier-Whitehead dual is always a homotopy fixed point spectrum, a well-known Adams-type spectral sequence is actually a descent spectral sequence, and, for a sufficiently nice k-local profinite G-Galois extension E, with K a closed normal subgroup of G, the equivalence (E^{h_kK})^{h_kG/K} \simeq E^{h_kG} (due to Behrens and the author), where (-)^{h_k(-)} denotes k-local homotopy fixed points, can be upgraded to an equivalence that just uses ordinary (non-local) homotopy fixed points, when G/K has finite vcd.