Non-linear proper Fredholm maps and the stable homotopy groups of spheres

Abstract We classify non-linear proper Fredholm maps between Hilbert spaces, up to proper homotopy, in terms of the stable homotopy groups of spheres. We show that there is a surjective map from the stable homotopy groups of spheres to the set of non-linear proper Fredholm maps up to proper homotopy and determine the non-trivial kernel. We also discuss the case of oriented non-linear proper Fredholm maps which are in bijection with the stable homotopy groups of spheres.