In [BK], it is shown that the Turaev-Viro invariants defined for a spherical fusion category $\mathcal{A}$ extends to invariants of 3-manifolds with corners. In [Kir], an equivalent formulation for the 2-1 part of the theory (2-manifolds with boundary) is described using the space of "stringnets with boundary conditions" as the vector spaces associated to 2-manifolds with boundary. Here we construct a similar theory for the 3-2 part of the 4-3-2 theory in [CY1993].
We study the maps induced on link Floer homology by elementary decorated link cobordisms. We compute these for births, deaths, stabilizations, and destabilizations, and show that saddle cobordisms can be computed in terms of maps in a decorated skein exact triangle that extends the oriented skein exact triangle in knot Floer homology. In particular, we completely determine the Alexander and Maslov grading shifts. As a corollary, we compute the maps induced by elementary cobordisms between unlinks. We show that these give rise to a $(1+1)$-dimensional TQFT that coincides with the reduced Khovan…
We define a "sutured topological quantum field theory", motivated by the study of sutured Floer homology of product 3-manifolds, and contact elements. We study a rich algebraic structure of suture elements in sutured TQFT, showing that it corresponds to contact elements in sutured Floer homology. We use this approach to make computations of contact elements in sutured Floer homology over $\Z$ of sutured manifolds $(D^2 \times S^1, F \times S^1)$ where $F$ is finite. This generalises previous results of the author over $\Z_2$ coefficients. Our approach elaborates upon the quantum field theoreti…
We develop an explicit skein theoretical algorithm to compute the Alexander polynomial of a 3-manifold from a surgery presentation employing the methods used in the construction of quantum invariants of 3-manifolds. As a prerequisite we establish and prove a rather unexpected equivalence between the topological quantum field theory constructed by Frohman and Nicas using the intersection homology of U(1)-representation varieties on the one side and the combinatorially constructed Hennings-TQFT based on the quasitriangular Hopf algebra ${\cal N}=\Z/2\ltimes \ext *\R^2$ on the other side. We find…
We give an introduction for the non-expert to TQFT (Topological Quantum Field Theory), focussing especially on its role in algebraic topology. We compare the Atiyah axioms for TQFT with the Eilenberg Steenrod axioms for homology, give a few simple examples of TQFTs, and discuss some other approaches that have been taken to defining TQFT. We then propose a new formulation of TQFT, which is closer in spirit to the way conventional functors of algebraic topology, like homology, are presented. In this approach the fundamental operation of gluing is incorporated through the notion of a *gluing morp…
Given a mapping class f of an oriented surface Sigma and a lagrangian lambda in the first homology of Sigma, we define an integer n_{lambda}(f). We use n_{lambda}(f) (mod 4) to describe a universal central extension of the mapping class group of Sigma as an index-four subgroup of the extension constructed from the Maslov index of triples of lagrangian subspaces in the homology of the surface. We give two descriptions of this subgroup. One is topological using surgery, the other is homological and builds on work of Turaev and work of Walker. Some applications to TQFT are discussed. They are bas…
We consider a generalization of the axioms of a TQFT, so called half-projective TQFT's, with an anomaly, $x^μ$, in the composition law. $μ$ is a coboundary on the cobordism categories with non-negative, integer values. The element $x$ of the ring over which the TQFT is defined does not have to be invertible. In particular, it may be 0. This modification makes it possible to extend quantum-invariants, which vanish on $S^1\times S^2$, to non-trivial TQFT's. (A TQFT in the sense of Atiyah with this property has to be trivial all together). Under a few natural assumptions the notion of a half-proj…
In this paper, we describe a relation between a categorical quantization construction, called "2-linearization", and extended topological quantum field theory (ETQFT). We then describe an extension of the 2-linearization process which incorporates cohomological twisting. The 2-linearization process assigns 2-vector spaces to (finite) groupoids, functors between them to spans of groupoids, and natural transformations to spans between these. By applying this to groupoids which represent the (discrete) moduli spaces for topological gauge theory with finite group G, the ETQFT obtained is the untwi…
In this paper, we study the higher Hochschild functor and its relationship with factorization algebras and topological chiral homology. To this end, we emphasize that the higher Hochschild complex is a $(\infty,1)$-functor from the category $\hsset \times \hcdga$ to the category $\hcdga$ (where $\hsset$ and $\hcdga$ are the $(\infty,1)$-categories of simplicial sets and commutative differential graded algebras) and give an axiomatic characterization of this functor. From the axioms we deduce several properties and computational tools for this functor. We study the relationship between the high…
We introduce equivariant factorization homology, extending the axiomatic framework of Ayala-Francis to encompass multiplicative invariants of manifolds equipped with finite group actions. Examples of such equivariant factorization homology theories include Bredon equivariant homology and (twisted versions of) Hochschild homology. Our main result is that equivariant factorization homology satisfies an equivariant version of tensor excision, and is uniquely characterised by this property. We also discuss applications to representation theory, such as constructions of categorical braid group acti…
We compute the factorization homology of a polynomial algebra over a compact and closed manifold with trivialized tangent bundle up to weak equivalence in a new way. This calculation is based on the model of a graph complex and an explicit morphism into the codomain, which makes it possible to twist the algebra with a Maurer-Cartan element and potentially apply other deformations.
For each positive integer n the HOMFLY polynomial of links specializes to a one-variable polynomial that can be recovered from the representation theory of quantum sl(n). For each such n we build a doubly-graded homology theory of links with this polynomial as the Euler characteristic. The core of our construction utilizes the theory of matrix factorizations, which provide a linear algebra description of maximal Cohen-Macaulay modules on isolated hypersurface singularities.
These notes are an expanded version of two series of lectures given at the winter school in mathematical physics at les Houches and at the Vietnamese Institute for Mathematical Sciences. They are an introduction to factorization algebras, factorization homology and some of their applications, notably for studying $E_n$-algebras. We give an account of homology theory for manifolds (and spaces), which give invariant of manifolds but also invariant of $E_n$-algebras. We particularly emphasize the point of view of factorization algebras (a structure originating from quantum field theory) which pla…
The quotient process of Müger and Bruguières is used to construct modular categories and TQFTs out of closed subsets of the Weyl alcove of a simple Lie algebra. In particular it is determined at which levels closed subsets associated to nonsimply-connected groups lead to TQFTs. Many of these TQFTs are shown to decompose into a tensor product of TQFTs coming from smaller subsets. The "prime" subsets among these are classified, and apart from some giving TQFTs depending on homology as described by Murakami, Ohtsuki and Okada, they are shown to be in one-to-one correspondence with the TQFTs predi…
Using factorization homology techniques, we give a simple proof of the action of Kontsevich and Soibelman operad on the pair consisting of Hochschild cohomology and Hochschild homology. The proof obviously extends to higher Hochschild cohomology and factorization (also called chiral) homology. Note that our result works in categories of chain complexes but also in categories of modules over a commutative ring spectrum.
The topological string interpretation of homological knot invariants has led to several insights into the structure of the theory in the case of sl(N). We study possible extensions of the matrix factorization approach to knot homology for other Lie groups and representations. In particular, we introduce a new triply graded theory categorifying the Kauffman polynomial, test it, and predict the Kauffman homology for several simple knots.
We construct a pairing, which we call factorization homology, between framed manifolds and higher categories. The essential geometric notion is that of a vari-framing of a stratified manifold, which is a framing on each stratum together with a coherent system of compatibilities of framings along links between strata. Our main result constructs labeling systems on disk-stratified vari-framed $n$-manifolds from $(\infty,n)$-categories. These $(\infty,n)$-categories, in contrast with the literature to date, are not required to have adjoints. This allows the following conceptual definition: the fa…
These are notes from an informal mini-course on factorization homology, infinity-categories, and topological field theories. The target audience was imagined to be graduate students who are not homotopy theorists.
To a presentation of an oriented link as the closure of a braid we assign a complex of bigraded vector spaces. The Euler characteristic of this complex (and of its triply-graded cohomology groups) is the HOMFLYPT polynomial of the link. We show that the dimension of each cohomology group is a link invariant.
In the study of 2d (the space dimension) topological orders, it is well-known that bulk excitations are classified by unitary modular tensor categories. But these categories only describe the local observables on an open 2-disk in the long wave length limit. For example, the notion of braiding only makes sense locally. It is natural to ask how to obtain global observables on a closed surface. The answer is provided by the theory of factorization homology. We compute the factorization homology of a closed surface $Σ$ with the coefficient given by a unitary modular tensor category, and show that…
Heegaard Floer theory is a kind of topological quantum field theory, assigning graded groups to closed, connected, oriented 3-manifolds and group homomorphisms to smooth, oriented 4-dimensional cobordisms. Bordered Heegaard Floer homology is an extension of Heegaard Floer homology to 3-manifolds with boundary, with extended-TQFT-type gluing properties. In this survey, we explain the formal structure and construction of bordered Floer homology and sketch how it can be used to compute some aspects of Heegaard Floer theory.
Given an n-manifold M and an n-category C, we define a chain complex (the "blob complex") B_*(M;C). The blob complex can be thought of as a derived category analogue of the Hilbert space of a TQFT, and as a generalization of Hochschild homology to n-categories and n-manifolds. It enjoys a number of nice formal properties, including a higher dimensional generalization of Deligne's conjecture about the action of the little disks operad on Hochschild cochains. Along the way, we give a definition of a weak n-category with strong duality which is particularly well suited for work with TQFTs.
We develop a theory of equivariant factorization algebras on varieties with an action of a connected algebraic group $G$, extending the definitions of Francis-Gaitsgory [FG] and Beilinson-Drinfeld [BD1] to the equivariant setting. We define an equivariant analogue of factorization homology, valued in modules over $\text{H}^\bullet_G(\text{pt})$, and in the case $G=(\mathbb{C}^\times)^n$ we prove an equivariant localization theorem for factorization homology, analogous to the classical localization theorem [AtB]. We establish a relationship between $\mathbb{C}^\times$ equivariant factorization …
We study the string topology of a closed oriented Riemannian manifold M. We describe a compact moduli space of diagrams, and show how the cellular chain complex of this space gives algebraic operations on the singular chains of the free loop space LM of M. These operations are well-defined on the homology of a quotient of this moduli space, which has the homotopy type of a compactification of the moduli space of Riemann surfaces. In particular, our action of the 0-dimensional homology of the quotient space on the homology of the free loop space of M recovers the Cohen-Godin positive boundary T…
M. Khovanov and L. Rozansky gave a categorification of the HOMFLY-PT polynomial. This study is a generalization of the Khovanov-Rozansky homology. We define a homology associated to the quantum $(sl_n,\land V_n)$ link invariant, where $\land V_n$ is the set of the fundamental representations of the quantum group of $sl_n$. In the case of a [1,k]-colored link diagram, we prove that its homology is a link invariant. In the case of an [i,j]-colored link diagram, we define a normalized Poincare polynomial of its homology and prove the polynomial is a link invariant.
The contents of this 98-page paper have been subsumed into the 191-page paper "A colored sl(N)-homology for links in S^3" (arXiv:0907.0695v1 [math.GT]), in which we further develop the theory and use it to construct a colored link homology.
We trade matrix factorizations and Koszul complexes for Hochschild homology of Soergel bimodules to modify the construction of triply-graded link homology and relate it to Kazhdan-Lusztig theory.
Generalizing Jacob Lurie's idea on the relation between the Verdier duality and the iterated loop space theory, we study the Koszul duality for locally constant factorization algebras. We formulate an analogue of Lurie's "nonabelian Poincare duality" theorem (which is closely related to earlier results of Graeme Segal, of Dusa McDuff, and of Paolo Salvatore) in a symmetric monoidal stable infinity category carefully, using John Francis' notion of excision. Its proof is done by first studying the Koszul duality for E_n-algebras in detail. As a consequence, we obtain a Verdier type equivalence f…
This article gives matrix factorizations for the trivalent diagrams and double line appearing in $\mathfrak{sl}_n$ quantum link invariant. These matrix factorizations reconstruct Khovanov-Rozansky homology. And we show that the Euler characteristic of the matrix factorization for a double loop equals the quantum dimension of the representation $\land^2 V$ of $U_q (\mathfrak{sl}_n)$ in Section \ref{sec3.3}.
We give an account of the theory of factorization spaces, categories, functors, and algebras, following the approach of [Ras1]. We apply these results to give geometric constructions of factorization $\mathbb{E}_n$ algebras describing mixed holomorphic-topological twists of supersymmetric gauge theories in low dimensions. We formulate and prove several recent predictions from the physics literature in this language: We recall the Coulomb branch construction of [BFN1] from this perspective. We prove a conjecture from [CosG] that the Coulomb branch factorization $\mathbb{E}_1$ algebra $\mathcal{…
A Classification of Modular Functors via Factorization Homology
Institut de Mathématiques de Jussieu-Paris Rive Gauche UMR 7586 Université Paris Cité Sorbonne Université CNRS（巴黎左岸数学研究所）；Université Bourgogne Europe（勃艮第欧洲大学）
Assuming a conjecture about factorization homology with adjoints, we prove the cobordism hypothesis, after Baez-Dolan, Costello, Hopkins-Lurie, and Lurie.
We study the relations between the invariants $τ_{RT}$, $τ_{HKR}$, and $τ_L$ of Reshetikhin-Turaev, Hennings-Kauffman-Radford, and Lyubashenko, respectively. In particular, we discuss explicitly how $τ_L$ specializes to $τ_{RT}$ for semisimple categories and to $τ_{HKR}$ for Tannakian categories. We give arguments for that $τ_L$ is the most general invariant that stems from an extended TQFT. We introduce a canonical, central element, {\sf Q}, for a quasi-triangular Hopf algebra, $\A$, that allows us to apply the Hennings algorithm directly, in order to compute $τ_{RT}$, which is originally obt…
