The aim of this article is to define and study a notion of unstable algebra over an operad that generalises the classical notion of unstable algebra over the Steenrod algebra. For this study we focus on the case of characteristic 2. We define $\star$-unstable $\mathcal P$-algebras, where $\mathcal P$ is an operad and $\star$ is a commutative binary operation in $\mathcal P$. We then build a functor that takes an unstable module $M$ to the free $\star$-unstable $\mathcal P$-algebra generated by $M$. Under some hypotheses on $\star$ and on $M$, we identify this unstable algebra as a free $\mathcal P$-algebra. Finally, we give some examples of this result, and we show how to use our main theorem to obtain a new construction of the unstable modules studied by Carlsson, Brown-Gitler, and Campbell-Selick, that takes into account their internal product.
We introduce a notion of unstable algebra over an operad in general characteristic. We show that the unstable algebra freely generated by an unstable module is itself a free algebra under suitable conditions. We introduce a family of '$q$-level' operads which allows us to identify unstable modules studied by Brown--Gitler, Miller and Carlsson to free unstable $q$-level algebras.
This is an expository article about operads in homotopy theory written as a chapter for an upcoming book. It concentrates on what the author views as the basic topics in the homotopy theory of operadic algebras: the definition of operads, the definition of algebras over operads, structural aspects of categories of algebras over operads, model structures on algebra categories, and comparison of algebra categories when changing operad or underlying category. In addition, it includes two applications of the theory: The original application to $n$-fold loop spaces, and an application to algebraic …
We show that the Koszul dual of an E_n-operad in spectra is O(n)-equivariantly equivalent to its n-fold desuspension. To this purpose we introduce a new O(n)-operad of Euclidean spaces R_n, the barycentric operad, that is fibred over simplexes and has homeomorphisms as structure maps; we also introduce its sub-operad of restricted little n-discs D_n, that is an E_n-operad. The duality is realized by an unstable explicit S-duality pairing (F_n)_+ \smash BD_n \to S_n, where B is the bar-cooperad construction, F_n is the Fulton-MacPherson E_n-operad, and the dualizing object S_n is an operad of s…
The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, we review applications of the bar duality of operads to the construction of explicit cofibrant replacements in categories of algebras over an operad. In view toward applications, we check that the constructions of the bar duality work properly for algebras over operads in unbounded differential graded modules over a ring. In a second part, we use the operadic cobar construction to define explicit cyclinder objects in the category of operads. Then we apply this construction to prove that certain homotopy morphisms of algebras over operads are equival…
Derived A-infinity algebras were developed recently by Sagave. Their advantage over classical A-infinity algebras is that no projectivity assumptions are needed to study minimal models of differential graded algebras. We explain how derived A-infinity algebras can be viewed as algebras over an operad. More specifically, we describe how this operad arises as a resolution of the operad dAs encoding bidgas. This generalises the established result describing the operad A-infinity as a resolution of the operad As encoding associative algebras. We further show Sagave's definition of morphisms agrees…
We prove the existence of Sullivan minimal models of operad algebras, for a quite wide family of operads in the category of complexes of vector spaces over a field of characteristic zero. Our construction is an adaptation of Sullivan's original step by step construction to the setting of operad algebras. The family of operads that we consider includes all operads concentrated in degree 0 as well as their minimal models. In particular, this gives Sullivan minimal models for algebras over Com, Ass and Lie, as well as over their minimal models. Other interesting operads, such as the operad Ger en…
We provide general conditions under which the algebras for a coloured operad in a monoidal model category carry a Quillen model structure, and prove a Comparison Theorem to the effect that a weak equivalence between suitable such operads induces a Quillen equivalence between their categories of algebras. We construct an explicit Boardman-Vogt style cofibrant resolution for coloured operads, thereby giving a uniform approach to algebraic structures up to homotopy over coloured operads. The Comparison Theorem implies that such structures can be rectified.
The derivatives of the identity functor on spaces in Goodwillie calculus forms an operad in spectra. Antolin-Camarena computed the mod 2 homology of free algebras over this operad for 1-connected spectra. In this present paper we carry out similar computations for mod p homology for odd primes p.
We prove that the bar construction of an $E_\infty$ algebra forms an $E_\infty$ algebra. To be more precise, we provide the bar construction of an algebra over the surjection operad with the structure of a Hopf algebra over the Barratt-Eccles operad. (The surjection operad and the Barratt-Eccles operad are classical $E_\infty$ operads.)
The purpose of this paper is to study generalizations of Gamma-homology in the context of operads. Good homology theories are associated to operads under appropriate cofibrancy hypotheses, but this requirement is not satisfied by usual operads outside the characteristic zero context. In that case, the idea is to pick a cofibrant replacement Q of the given operad P. We can apply to P-algebras the homology theory associated to Q in order to define a suitable homology theory on the category of P-algebras. We make explicit a small complex to compute this homology when the operad P is binary and Ko…
In the present work, we extract pairs of topological spaces from maps between coloured operads. We prove that those pairs are weakly equivalent to explicit algebras over the one dimensional Swiss-Cheese operad SC_{1}. Thereafter, we show that the pair formed by the space of long knots and the polynomial approximation of (k)-immerions from R^{d} to R^{n} is an SC_{d+1}-algebra assuming the Dwyer-Hess'conjecture.
The goal of this paper is to set up an obstruction theory in the context of algebras over an operad and in the framework of differential graded modules over a field. Precisely, the problem we consider is the following: Suppose given two algebras A and B over an operad P and an algebra morphism from the homology of A to the homology of B. Can we realize this morphism as a morphism of P-algebras from A to B in the homotopy category? Also, if the realization exists, is it unique in the homotopy category? We identify obstruction cocycles for this problem, and notice that they live in the first two…
We identify conditions under which it is guaranteed that an action of an operad on the $E^2$ page of a spectral sequence passes to $E^r$ for $r\ge 2$ and hence to the $E^\infty$ page. We consider this question in both the purely algebraic and topological settings.
We establish model category structures on algebras and modules over operads in symmetric spectra, and study when a morphism of operads induces a Quillen equivalence between corresponding categories of algebras (resp. modules) over operads.
We develop a curved Koszul duality theory for algebras presented by quadratic-linear-constant relations over unital versions of binary quadratic operads. As an application, we study Poisson $n$-algebras given by polynomial functions on a standard shifted symplectic space. We compute explicit resolutions of these algebras using curved Koszul duality. We use these resolutions to compute derived enveloping algebras and factorization homology on parallelized simply connected closed manifolds with coefficients in these Poisson $n$-algebras.
For $\mathcal{O}$ a reduced operad, a generalized divergence from the derivations of a free $\mathcal{O}$-algebra to a suitable trace space is constructed. In the case of the Lie operad, this corresponds to Satoh's trace map and, for the associative operad, to the double divergence of Alekseev, Kawazumi, Kuno and Naef. The generalized divergence is shown to be a $1$-cocycle for the usual Lie algebra structure on derivations. These results place the previous constructions into a unified framework; moreover, they are natural with respect to the operad. An important new ingredient is the use of n…
The aim of this brief note is mainly to advocate our approach to homotopy algebras based on the minimal model of an operad. Our exposition is motivated by two examples which we discuss very explicitly - the example of strongly homotopy associative algebras and the example of strongly homotopy Lie algebras. We then indicate what must be proved in order to show that these homotopy algebraic structures are really `stable under a homotopy.' The paper is based on a talk given by the author on June 16, 1998, at University of Osnabrueck, Germany.
A classical E-infinity operad is formed by the bar construction of the symmetric groups. Such an operad has been introduced by M. Barratt and P. Eccles in the context of simplicial sets in order to have an analogue of the Milnor FK-construction for infinite loop spaces. The purpose of this article is to prove that the associative algebra structure on the normalized cochain complex of a simplicial set extends to the structure of an algebra over the Barratt-Eccles operad. We also prove that differential graded algebras over the Barratt-Eccles operad form a closed model category. Similar results …
We define a construction on operads which yields a new description of the minimal model. The construction also allows us to define algebraic structures on the homology of chain complexes with homologously trivial operad algebra structures, thus exposing nontrivial structure where none is apparent.
The goal of this paper is to furnish a literature on Goodwillie calculus for functors defined between categories which derive from chain complexes over a ground field $\Bbbk.$ We characterize homogeneous functors $F: \mathcal{C} \longrightarrow \mathcal{D}$ where $\mathcal{C} ,\mathcal{D}= Ch$ (chain complexes), $Ch_+$(non-negatively graded chain complexes) or $\text{Alg}_\mathcal{O}$ (algebras over a chain complex operad $\mathcal{O}$). In the particular case when $\mathcal{D}= \text{Alg}_\mathcal{O},$ our characterization requires $\Bbbk$ to be of characteristics $0.$ We are then extending t…
We build a model in groupoids for the Swiss-Cheese operad, based on parenthesized permutations and braids, and we relate algebras over this model to the classical description of algebras over the homology of the Swiss-Cheese operad. We extend our model to a rational model for the Swiss-Cheese operad, and we compare it to the model that we would get if the operad Swiss-Cheese were formal.
We show that topological Quillen homology of algebras and modules over operads in symmetric spectra can be calculated by realizations of simplicial bar constructions. Working with several model category structures, we give a homotopical proof after showing that certain homotopy colimits in algebras and modules over operads can be easily understood. A key result here, which lies at the heart of this paper, is showing that the forgetful functor commutes with certain homotopy colimits. We also prove analogous results for algebras and modules over operads in unbounded chain complexes.
Equipping a non-equivariant topological E_\infty operad with the trivial G-action gives an operad in G-spaces. The algebra structure encoded by this operad in G-spectra is characterised homotopically by having no non-trivial multiplicative norms. Algebras over this operad are called naive-commutative ring G-spectra. In this paper we let G be a finite group and we show that commutative algebras in the algebraic model for rational G-spectra model the rational naive-commutative ring G-spectra.
The aim of this paper is three-fold: (i) we construct a naturally occurring highly homotopy coherent operad structure on the derivatives of the identity functor on structured ring spectra which can be described as algebras over an operad $\mathcal{O}$ in spectra, (ii) we prove that every connected $\mathcal{O}$-algebra has a naturally occurring left action of the derivatives of the identity, and (iii) we show that there is a naturally occurring weak equivalence of highly homotopy coherent operads between the derivatives of the identity on $\mathcal{O}$-algebras and the operad $\mathcal{O}$. Al…
We present a general construction of the derived category of an algebra over an operad and establish its invariance properties. A central role is played by the enveloping operad of an algebra over an operad.
In this paper, we introduce Adem-Cartan operads and prove that the cohomology of any algebra over such an operad is an unstable level algebra over the extended Steenrod algebra. Moreover we prove that this cohomology is endowed with secondary cohomological operations.
A general notion of operad is given, which includes as instances, the operads originally conceived to study loop spaces, as well as the higher operads that arise in the globular approach to higher dimensional algebra. In the framework of this paper, one can also describe symmetric and braided analogues of higher operads, likely to be important to the study of weakly symmetric, higher dimensional monoidal structures.
We prove that the category of algebras over a cofibrant operad admits a closed model category structure. This leads to the notion of "virtual operad algebra" - the algebra over a cofibrant resolution of the given operad. In particular, virtual commutative algebras can serve to an algebraic description of homotopy p-tipes as in the recent preprint of Mandell (electronic Hopf topology archive, october '98, see http://www.hopf.math.purdue.edu. Our main result allows one to significally simplify the proof of Mandell's theorem.
Motivated by calculations of motivic homotopy groups, we give widely attained conditions under which operadic algebras and modules thereof are preserved under (co)localization functors
We investigate operads for various n-ary algebras. As a useful tool we introduce galgalim - analogs of the Lie-hedra for n-ary algebras. We then focus to algebras with one anti-associative operation. We describe the relevant part of the deformation cohomology for this type of algebras using the minimal model for the anti-associative operad. We also discuss free partially associative algebras and formulate some open problems.
From the `cofree' cooperad $T'(A[-1])$ on a collection $A$ together with a differential, we construct an $L_\infty$-algebra structure on the total space $\bigoplus_nA(n)$ that descends to coinvariants. We use this construction to define an $L_\infty$-algebra controlling deformations of the operad $P$ under $Q$ from a cofibrant resolution for an operad $Q$, and an operad map $Q\longrightarrow P$. Starting from a diffent cofibrant resolution one obtains a quasi isomorohic $L_\infty$-algebra. This approach unifies Markl's cotangent cohomology of operads and the approaches to deformation of $Q$-al…
It is well known that the differential graded operad of A_infinity-algebras is a cofibrant replacement (a dg-resolution) of the operad of associative differential graded algebras without units. In this article we find a cofibrant replacement of the operad of associative differential graded algebras with units. Algebras over it are called homotopy unital A_infinity-algebras. We prove that the operad bimodule of A_infinity-morphisms is a cofibrant replacement of the operad bimodule of morphisms of dg-algebras without units. Similarly we show that the operad bimodule of homotopy unital A_infinity…
We study the operad of associative algebras equipped with a derivation. We show that it is determined by polynomials in several variables and substitution. Replacing polynomials by rational functions gives an operad which is isomorphic to the operad of "moulds". It provides an efficient environment for doing integro-differential calculus. Interesting variations are obtained by using formal group laws. The preceding case corresponds to the additive formal group law. We unravel the notion of homotopy associative algebra with derivation in the spirit of Kadeishvili's work.
In this article we give a construction of a polynomial 2-monad from an operad and describe the algebras of the 2-monads which then arise. This construction is different from the standard construction of a monad from an operad in that the algebras of our associated 2-monad are the categorified algebras of the original operad. Moreover it enables us to characterise operads as categorical polynomial monads in a canonical way. This point of view reveals categorical polynomial monads as a unifying environment for operads, Cat-operads and clubs. We recover the standard construction of a monad from a…
We decribe the correspondence between normalised $ω$-operads and certain lax monoidal structures on the category of globular sets. As with ordinary monoidal categories, one has a notion of category enriched in a lax monoidal category. Within the aforementioned correspondence, we provide also an equivalence between the algebras of a given normalised $ω$-operad, and categories enriched in globular sets for the induced lax monoidal structure.
Over suitable monoidal model categories, we construct a Dwyer-Kan model category structure on the category of algebras over an augmented operadic collection. As examples we obtain Dwyer-Kan model category structure on the categories of enriched wheeled props, wheeled properads, and wheeled operads, among others. This result extends known model category structure on the categories of operads, properads, and props enriched in simplicial sets and other monoidal model categories. We also show that our Dwyer-Kan model category structure is well behaved with respect to simultaneous changes of the un…
In these proceedings we summarize previous work where we formalize a general concept of algebraic field theories using operads. After giving a gentle reminder of algebraic quantum field theory, operads and their algebras, we construct field theory operads, whose algebras are exactly algebraic field theories. Specifically, they satisfy a suitable version of the Einstein causality axiom. From this construction we get adjunctions between different types of field theories, including adjunctions related to local-to-global extensions and the time-slice axiom, and a quantization functor for linear fi…
We study the André-Quillen cohomology with coefficients of an algebra over an operad. Using resolutions of algebras coming from Koszul duality theory, we make this cohomology theory explicit and we give a Lie theoretic interpretation. For which operads is the associated André-Quillen cohomology equal to an Ext-functor ? We give several criterion, based on the cotangent complex, to characterize this property. We apply it to homotopy algebras, which gives a new homotopy stable property for algebras over cofibrant operads.
In this paper we develop the theory of operads, algebras and modules in cofibrantly generated symmetric monoidal model categories. We give J-semi model strucures, which are a slightly weaker version of model structures, for operads and algebras and model structures for modules. In a second part we develop the thoery of S-modules of [EKMM]., which allows a general homotopy theory for commutative algebras and pseudo unital symmetric monoidal categories of modules over them. Finally we prove a base change and projection formula.
We construct an explicit minimal model for an algebra over the cobar-construction of a differential graded operad. The structure maps of this minimal model are expressed in terms of sums over decorated trees. We introduce the appropriate notion of a homotopy equivalence of operadic algebras and show that our minimal model is homotopy equivalent to the original algebra. All this generalizes and gives a conceptual explanation of well-known results for A-infinity algebras. Further, we show that these results carry over to the case of algebras over modular operads; the sums over trees get replaced…
In this paper we apply homotopical localization to the framework of differential graded algebras over an operad. We get plus construction by performing nullification with respect to an universal acyclic algebra. This plus construction for Lie and Leibniz algebras up to homotopy yields two new homology theories for associative algebras. They are closely related to cyclic and Hochschild homologies. We also compute their first homology groups.
The transfer of the generating operations of an algebra to a homotopy equivalent chain complex produces higher operations. The first goal of this paper is to describe precisely the higher structure obtained when the unary operations commute with the contracting homotopy. To solve this problem, we develop the Koszul duality theory of operads in the category of modules over a cocommutative Hopf algebra. This gives rise to a simpler category of homotopy algebras and infinity-morphisms, which allows us to get a new description of the homotopy category of algebras over such operads. The main exampl…
We verify that certain algebras appearing in string field theory are algebras over Feynman transform of modular operads which we describe explicitly. Equivalent description in terms of solutions of generalized BV master equations are explained from the operadic point of view.
We study some formality criteria for differential graded algebras over differential graded operads. This unifies and generalizes other known approaches like the ones by Manetti and Kaledin. In particular, we construct general operadic Kaledin classes and show that they provide obstructions to formality. Moreover, we show that an algebra A is formal if and only if its operadic cohomology spectral sequence degenerates at $E_2$.
Several topological and homological operads based on families of projectively weighted arcs in bounded surfaces are introduced and studied. The spaces underlying the basic operad are identified with open subsets of a compactification due to Penner of a space closely related to Riemann's moduli space. Algebras over these operads are shown to be Batalin-Vilkovisky algebras, where the entire BV structure is realized simplicially. Furthermore, our basic operad contains the cacti operad up to homotopy, and it similarly acts on the loop space of any topological space. New operad structures on the ci…
The purpose of this paper is to give a characterisation of divided power algebras over a reduced operad. Such a characterisation is given in terms of polynomial operations, following the classical example of divided power algebras. We describe these polynomial operations in two different ways: one way uses invariant elements under the action of the symmetric group, the other coinvariant elements. Our results are then applied to the case of level algebras, which are (non-associative) commutative algebras satisfying the exchange law.
We apply Weyl $n$-algebras to prove formality theorems for higher Hochschild cohomology. We present two approaches: via propagators and via the factorization complex. It is shown that the second approach is equivalent to the first one taken with a new family of propagators we introduce.
One of the open problems in higher category theory is the systematic construction of the higher dimensional analogues of the Gray tensor product of 2-categories. In this paper we continue the developments of [3] and [2] by understanding the natural generalisations of Gray's little brother, the funny tensor product of categories. In fact we exhibit for any higher categorical structure definable by an n-operad in the sense of Batanin [1], an analogous tensor product which forms a symmetric monoidal closed structure on the category of algebras of the operad.
We present a study of quadratic operads for n-ary algebras and their dual for n odd. We will focus on the ternary case (i.e n=3). The aim is to underline the problem of computing the dual operad and the fact that this last is in general defined in the graded differential operad framework. We prove that the operad associated to 3-ary partially associative algebra is not Koszul. Recall that, if n is even, the operad of n-ary partially associative algebras is Koszul.
It is well known that the forgetful functor from symmetric operads to nonsymmetric operads has a left adjoint $Sym_1$ given by product with the symmetric group operad. It is also well known that this functor does not affect the category of algebras of the operad. From the point of view of the author's theory of higher operads, the nonsymmmetric operads are 1-operads and $Sym_1$ is the first term of the infinite series of left adjoint functors $Sym_n,$ called symmetrisation functors, from $n$-operads to symmetric operads with the property that the category of one object, one arrow, . . ., one $…
The operads of Poisson and Gerstenhaber algebras are generated by a single binary element if we consider them as Hopf operads (i.e. as operads in the category of cocommutative coalgebras). In this note we discuss in details the Hopf operads generated by a single element of arbitrary arity. We explain why the dual space to the space of $n$-ary operations in this operads are quadratic and Koszul algebras. We give the detailed description of generators, relations and a certain monomial basis in these algebras.
