We study a variation of Turaev's homotopy quantum field theories using 2-categories of surfaces. We define the homotopy surface 2-category of a space $X$ and define an $\cS_X$-structure to be a monoidal 2-functor from this to the 2-category of idempotent-complete additive $k$-linear categories. We initiate the study of the algebraic structure arising from these functors. In particular we show that, under certain conditions, an $\cS_X$-structure gives rise to a lax tortile $π$-category when the background space is an Eilenberg-Maclane space $X=K(π,1)$, and to a tortile category with lax $π_2X$-action when the background space is simply-connected.
In this paper, we discuss two topics: first, we show how to convert 1+1-topological quantum field theories valued in symmetric bimonoidal categories into stable homotopical data, using a machinery by Elmendorf and Mandell. Then, we discuss, in this framework, two recent results (independent of each other) on refinements of Khovanov homology: our refinement into a module over the connective k-theory spectrum and a stronger result by Lipshitz and Sarkar refining Khovanov homology into a stable homotopy type.
Simplicial formal maps were introduced in the first paper, (math.QA/0512032), of this series as a tool for studying Homotopy Quantum Field Theories with background a general homotopy 2-type. Here we continue their study, showing how a natural generalisation can handle much more general backgrounds. The question of the geometric interpretation of these formal maps is partially answered in terms of combinatorial bundles. This suggests new interpretations of HQFTs.
In this short note we provide a review of some developments in the area of homotopy quantum field theories, loosely based on a talk given by the second author at the Xth Oporto Meeting on Geometry, Topology and Physics.
For smooth finite dimensional manifolds, we characterise gerbes with connection as functors on a certain surface cobordism category. This allows us to relate gerbes with connection to Turaev's 1+1-dimensional homotopy quantum field theories, and we show that flat gerbes are related to a specific class of rank one homotopy quantum field theories.
In this paper, we initiate the study of the Givental group action on Cohomological Field Theories in terms of homotopical algebra. More precisely, we show that the stabilisers of Topological Field Theories in genus 0 (respectively in genera 0 and 1) are in one-to-one correspondence with commutative homotopy Batalin--Vilkovisky algebras (respectively wheeled commutative homotopy BV-algebras).
In this paper we extend Toën's derived Hall algebra construction, in which he obtains unital associative algebras from certain stable model categories, to one in which such algebras are obtained from more general stable homotopy theories, in particular stable complete Segal spaces satisfying appropriate finiteness assumptions.
2-Theories are a canonical way of describing categories with extra structure. 2-theory-morphisms are used when discussing how one structure can be replaced with another structure. This is central to categorical coherence theory. We place a Quillen model category structure on the category of 2-theories and 2-theory-morphisms where the weak equivalences are biequivalences of 2-theories. A biequivalence of 2-theories (Morita equivalence) induces and is induced by a biequivalence of 2-categories of algebras. This model category structure allows one to talk of the homotopy of 2-theories and discuss…
String backgrounds are described as purely geometric objects related to moduli spaces of Riemann surfaces, in the spirit of Segal's definition of a conformal field theory. Relations with conformal field theory, topological field theory and topological gravity are studied. For each field theory, an algebraic counterpart, the (homotopy) algebra satisfied by the tree level correlators, is constructed.
We define Homotopy quantum field theories (HQFT) as Topological quantum field theories (TQFT) for manifolds endowed with extra structure in the form of a map into some background space X. We also build the category of homotopy cobordisms HCobord(n,X) such that an HQFT is a functor from this category into a category of linear spaces. We then derive some very general properties of HCobord}(n,X), including the fact that it only depends on the (n+1)-homotopy type of X. We also prove that an HQFT with target space X and in dimension n+1 implies the existence of geometrical structures in X; in parti…
Homotopy Quantum Field Theories (HQFTs) were introduced by the second author to extend the ideas and methods of Topological Quantum Field Theories to closed $d$-manifolds endowed with extra structure in the form of homotopy classes of maps into a given `target' space, $B$. For $d = 1$, classifications of HQFTs in terms of algebraic structures are known when $B$ is a $K(G,1)$ and also when it is simply connected. Here we study general HQFTs with $d = 1$ and target a general 2-type, giving a common generalisation of the classifying algebraic structures for the two cases previously known. The alg…
Given a finite $\mathbb{Z}_2$-graded group $\hat{\mathsf{G}}$ with ungraded subgroup $\mathsf{G}$ and a twisted cocycle $\hatλ \in Z^n(B \hat{\mathsf{G}}; \mathsf{U}(1)_π)$ which restricts to $λ\in Z^n(B \mathsf{G}; \mathsf{U}(1))$, we construct a lift of $λ$-twisted $\mathsf{G}$-Dijkgraaf--Witten theory to an unoriented topological quantum field theory. Our construction uses a new class of homotopy field theories, which we call orientation twisted. We also introduce an orientation twisted variant of the orbifold procedure, which produces an unoriented topological field theory from an orientat…
We present a precise definition of extended homotopy quantum field theories and develop an orbifold construction for these theories when the target space is the classifying space of a finite group $G$, i.e. for $G$-equivariant topological field theories. More precisely, we use a bicategorical version of the parallel section functor to associate to an extended equivariant topological field theory an ordinary extended topological field theory. Thereby, we give a unification, geometric underpinning and vast generalization of algebraic concepts of orbifoldization. In the special case of 3-2-1-dime…
This paper builds a general framework in which to study cohomology theories of strongly homotopy algebras, namely $A_\infty, C_\infty$ and $L_\infty$-algebras. This framework is based on noncommutative geometry as expounded by Connes and Kontsevich. The developed machinery is then used to establish a general form of Hodge decomposition of Hochschild and cyclic cohomology of $C_\infty$-algebras. This generalizes and puts in a conceptual framework previous work by Loday and Gerstenhaber-Schack.
This article gives a brief introduction to some recent work on deformation and homotopy theories of Rota-Baxter operators and more generally $\mathcal{O}$-operators on Lie algebras, by means of the differential graded Lie algebra approach. It is further shown that these theories lift the existing connection between $\mathcal{O}$-operators and pre-Lie algebras to the levels of deformations and homotopy.
Homotopy Quantum Field Theories (HQFTs) generalize more familiar Topological Quantum Field Theories (TQFTs). In generalization of the surgery construction of 3-dimensional TQFTs from modular categories, we use surgery to derive 3-dimensional HQFTs from G-modular categories.
In this work we report a homological perturbation calculation to construct effective theories of topological quantum mechanics on $\mathbb{R}_{\geqslant 0}$. Such calculation can be regarded as a generalization of Feynman graph computation. The resulting effective theories fit into derived BV algebra structure, which generalizes BV quantization. Besides, our construction may serve as the simplest example of a process called "boundary transfer", which may help study bulk-boundary correspondence.
We consider various $A_{\infty}$-algebras of differential (super)forms, which are related to gauge theories and demonstrate explicitly how certain reformulations of gauge theories lead to the transfer of the corresponding $A_{\infty}$-structures. In $N=2$ 3D space we construct the homotopic counterpart of the de Rham complex, which is related to the superfield formulation of the $N=2$ Chern-Simons theory.
This thesis is concerned with the application of operadic methods, particularly modular operads, to questions arising in the study of moduli spaces of surfaces as well as applications to the study of homotopy algebras and new constructions of 'quantum invariants' of manifolds inspired by ideas originating from physics. We consider the extension of classical 2-dimensional topological quantum field theories to Klein topological quantum field theories which allow unorientable surfaces. We generalise open topological conformal field theories to open Klein topological conformal field theories and c…
We classify invertible 2-dimensional framed and $r$-spin topological field theories by computing the homotopy groups and the $k$-invariant of the corresponding bordism categories. The zeroth homotopy group of a bordism category is the usual Thom bordism group, the first homotopy group can be identified with a Reinhart vector field bordism group, or the so called SKK group as observed by Ebert, Böckstedt-Svane and Kreck-Stolz-Teichner. We present the computation of SKK groups for stable tangential structures. Then we consider non-stable examples: the 2-dimensional framed and $r$-spin SKK groups…
We discuss general properties of $A_\infty$-algebras and their applications to the theory of open strings. The properties of cyclicity for $A_\infty$-algebras are examined in detail. We prove the decomposition theorem, which is a stronger version of the minimal model theorem, for $A_\infty$-algebras and cyclic $A_\infty$-algebras and discuss various consequences of it. In particular it is applied to classical open string field theories and it is shown that all classical open string field theories on a fixed conformal background are cyclic $A_\infty$-isomorphic to each other. The same results h…
We revisit the existence, background independence and uniqueness of closed, open and open-closed bosonic- and topological string field theory, using the machinery of homotopy algebra. In a theory of classical open- and closed strings, the space of inequivalent open string field theories is isomorphic to the space of classical closed string backgrounds. We then discuss obstructions of these moduli spaces at the quantum level. For the quantum theory of closed strings, uniqueness on a given background follows from the decomposition theorem for loop homotopy algebras. We also address the question …
We consider gauge theories in a String Field Theory-inspired formalism. The constructed algebraic operations lead in particular to homotopy algebras of the related BV theories. We discuss invariant description of the gauge fixing procedure and special algebraic features of gauge theories coupled to matter fields.
We prove that the parallel transport of a flat $n-1$-gerbe on any given target space gives rise to an $n$-dimensional extended homotopy quantum field theory. In case the target space is the classifying space of a finite group, we provide explicit formulae for this homotopy quantum field theory in terms of transgression. Moreover, we use the geometric theory of orbifolds to give a dimension-independent version of twisted and equivariant Dijkgraaf-Witten models. Finally, we introduce twisted equivariant Dijkgraaf-Witten theories giving us in the 3-2-1-dimensional case a new class of equivariant …
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.
