We introduce notions of open-string vertex algebra, conformal open-string vertex algebra and variants of these notions. These are ``open-string-theoretic,'' ``noncommutative'' generalizations of the notions of vertex algebra and of conformal vertex algebra. Given an open-string vertex algebra, we show that there exists a vertex algebra, which we call the ``meromorphic center,'' inside the original algebra such that the original algebra yields a module and also an intertwining operator for the meromorphic center. This result gives us a general method for constructing open-string vertex algebras. Besides obvious examples obtained from associative algebras and vertex (super)algebras, we give a nontrivial example constructed from the minimal model of central charge c=1/2. We establish an equivalence between the associative algebras in the braided tensor category of modules for a suitable vertex operator algebra and the grading-restricted conformal open-string vertex algebras containing a vertex operator algebra isomorphic to the given vertex operator algebra. We also give a geometric and operadic formulation of the notion of grading-restricted conformal open-string vertex algebra, we prove two isomorphism theorems, and in particular, we show that such an algebra gives a projective algebra over what we call the ``Swiss-cheese partial operad.''
We give the operadic formulation of (weak, strong) topological vertex algebras, which are variants of topological vertex operator algebras studied recently by Lian and Zuckerman. As an application, we obtain a conceptual and geometric construction of the Batalin-Vilkovisky algebraic structure (or the Gerstenhaber algebra structure) on the cohomology of a topological vertex algebra (or of a weak topological vertex algebra) by combining this operadic formulation with a theorem of Getzler (or of Cohen) which formulates Batalin-Vilkovisky algebras (or Gerstenhaber algebras) in terms of the homolog…
Semi-infinite forms on the moduli spaces of genus-zero Riemann surfaces with punctures and local coordinates are introduced. A partial operad for semi-infinite forms is constructed. Using semi-infinite forms and motivated by a partial suboperad of the partial operad for semi-infinite forms, topological vertex partial operads of type $k<0$ and strong topological vertex partial operads of type $k<0$ are constructed. It is proved that the category of (locally-)grading-restricted (strong) topological vertex operator algebras of type $k<0$ and the category of (weakly) meromorphic ${\Bbb Z}\times {\…
We endow categories of non-symmetric operads with natural model structures. We work with no restriction on our operads and only assume the usual hypotheses for model categories with a symmetric monoidal structure. We also study categories of algebras over these operads in enriched non-symmetric monoidal model categories.
We prove, under mild assumptions, that a Quillen equivalence between symmetric monoidal model categories gives rise to a Quillen equivalence between their model categories of (non-symmetric) operads, and also between model categories of algebras over operads. We also show left properness results on model categories of operads and algebras over operads. As an application, we prove homotopy invariance for (unital) associative operads.
Higher-dimensional category theory is the study of n-categories, operads, braided monoidal categories, and other such exotic structures. It draws its inspiration from areas as diverse as topology, quantum algebra, mathematical physics, logic, and theoretical computer science. This is the first book on the subject and lays its foundations. Many examples are given throughout. There is also an introductory chapter motivating the subject for topologists.
Vertex operator algebras are mathematically rigorous objects corresponding to chiral algebras in conformal field theory. Operads are mathematical devices to describe operations, that is, $n$-ary operations for all $n$ greater than or equal to $0$, not just binary products. In this paper, a reformulation of the notion of vertex operator algebra in terms of operads is presented. This reformulation shows that the rich geometric structure revealed in the study of conformal field theory and the rich algebraic structure of the theory of vertex operator algebras share a precise common foundation in b…
In this paper, we describe a general theory of modules over an algebra over an operad. We also study functors between categories of modules. Specializing to the operad E_d of little d-dimensional disks, we show that each (d-1)-manifold gives rise to a theory of modules over E_d-algebras and each bordism gives rise to a functor from the category defined by its incoming boundary to the category defined by its outgoing boundary. We describe how to assemble these categories into a map from a certain operad to the operad of (infinity)-categories.
We show that the regular patterns of Getzler (2009) form a 2-category biequivalent to the 2-category of substitudes of Day and Street (2003), and that the Feynman categories of Kaufmann and Ward (2013) form a 2-category biequivalent to the 2-category of coloured operads (with invertible 2-cells). These biequivalences induce equivalences between the corresponding categories of algebras. There are three main ingredients in establishing these biequivalences. The first is a strictification theorem (exploiting Power's General Coherence Result) which allows to reduce to the case where the structure …
We give a definition of weak n-categories based on the theory of operads. We work with operads having an arbitrary set S of types, or `S-operads', and given such an operad O, we denote its set of operations by elt(O). Then for any S-operad O there is an elt(O)-operad O+ whose algebras are S-operads over O. Letting I be the initial operad with a one-element set of types, and defining I(0) = I, I(i+1) = I(i)+, we call the operations of I(n-1) the `n-dimensional opetopes'. Opetopes form a category, and presheaves on this category are called `opetopic sets'. A weak n-category is defined as an opet…
We study the operadic and categorical formulations of (conformal) full field algebras. In particular, we show that a grading-restricted $\R\times \R$-graded full field algebra is equivalent to an algebra over a partial operad constructed from spheres with punctures and local coordinates. This result is generalized to conformal full field algebras over $V^L\otimes V^R$, where V^L and V^R are two vertex operator algebras satisfying certain finiteness and reductivity conditions. We also study the geometry interpretation of conformal full field algebras over $V^L\otimes V^R$ equipped with a nondeg…
We establish a highly flexible condition that guarantees that all colored symmetric operads in a symmetric monoidal model category are admissible, i.e., the category of algebras over any operad admits a model structure transferred from the original model category. We also give a necessary and sufficient criterion that ensures that a given weak equivalence of admissible operads admits rectification, i.e., the corresponding Quillen adjunction between the categories of algebras is a Quillen equivalence. In addition, we show that Quillen equivalences of underlying symmetric monoidal model categori…
Coherence phenomena appear in two different situations. In the context of category theory the term `coherence constraints' refers to a set of diagrams whose commutativity implies the commutativity of a larger class of diagrams. In the context of algebra coherence constrains are a minimal set of generators for the second syzygy, that is, a set of equations which generate the full set of identities among the defining relations of an algebraic theory. A typical example of the first type is Mac Lane's coherence theorem for monoidal categories, an example of the second type is the result of Drinfel…
In our recent papers [Sh1,2], we introduced a {\it twisted tensor product} of dg categories, and provided, in terms of it, {\it a contractible 2-operad $\mathcal{O}$}, acting on the category of small dg categories, in which the "natural transformations" are derived. We made use of some homotopy theory developed in [To] to prove the contractibility of the 2-operad $\mathcal{O}$. The contractibility is an important issue, in vein of the theory of Batanin [Ba1,2], according to which an action of a contractible $n$-operad on $C$ makes $C$ a weak $n$-category. In this short note, we provide a new e…
Associative rings A, B are called Morita equivalent when the categories of left modules over them are equivalent. We call two classical linear operads P, Q Morita equivalent if the categories of algebras over them are equivalent. We transport a part of Morita theory to the operadic context by studying modules over operads. As an application of this philosophy, we consider an operadic version of the sheaf of linear differential operators ona a (super) manifold M and give a comparison theorem between algebras over this sheaf on M and M_{red}. The paper is dedicated to A.N.Tyurin on the occasion …
In this paper we introduce a notion of {\it generalized operad} containing as special cases various kinds of operad--like objects: ordinary, cyclic, modular, properads etc. We then construct inner cohomomorphism objects in their categories (and categories of algebras over them). We argue that they provide an approach to symmetry and moduli objects in non-commutative geometries based upon these "ring--like" structures. We give a unified axiomatic treatment of generalized operads as functors on categories of abstract labeled graphs. Finally, we extend inner cohomomorphism constructions to more g…
In [KW14], the new concept of Feynman categories was introduced to simplify the discussion of operad--like objects. In this present paper, we demonstrate the usefulness of this approach, by introducing the concept of decorated Feynman categories. The procedure takes a Feynman category $\mathfrak F$ and a functor $\mathcal O$ to a monoidal category to produce a new Feynman category ${\mathfrak F}_{dec {\mathcal O}}$. This in one swat explains the existence of non--sigma operads, non--sigma cyclic operads, and the non--sigma--modular operads of Markl as well as all the usual candidates simply fr…
For a finitely-generated vertex operator algebra of central charge c, a locally convex topological completion is constructed. We construct on the completion a structure of an algebra over the operad of the c/2-th power of the determinant line bundle over the moduli space of genus-zero Riemann surfaces with ordered analytically parametrized boundary components. In particular, the completion is a module for the semi-group of the c/2-th power of the determinant line bundle over the moduli space of conformal equivalence classes of annuli with analytically parametrized boundary components. The resu…
We complete a certain diagram (the operadic butterfly) of categories of algebras involving Com, As, and Lie by constructing a type of algebras which have 4 generating operations and 16 relations. The associated operad is self-dual for Koszul duality.
The goal of the present paper is to compare, in a precise way, two notions of operads up to homotopy which appear in the literature. Namely, we construct a functor from the category of strict unital homotopy colored operads to the category of infinity-operads. The former notion, that we make precise, is the operadic generalization of the notion of A-infinity-categories and the latter notion was defined by Moerdijk--Weiss in order to generalize the simplicial notion of infinity-category of Joyal--Lurie. This functor extends in two directions the simplicial nerve of Faonte--Lurie for A-infinity-…
This survey provides an elementary introduction to operads and to their applications in homotopical algebra. The aim is to explain how the notion of an operad was prompted by the necessity to have an algebraic object which encodes higher homotopies. We try to show how universal this theory is by giving many applications in Algebra, Geometry, Topology, and Mathematical Physics. (This text is accessible to any student knowing what tensor products, chain complexes, and categories are.)
We give an explicit construction of the free monoid in monoidal abelian categories when the monoidal product does not necessarily preserve coproducts. We apply it to several new monoidal categories that appeared recently in the theory of Koszul duality for operads and props. This gives a conceptual explanation of the form of the free operad, free dioperad, free properad and free prop.
This paper is dedicated to the memory of Moshe Flato, and will appear in Lett. Math. Phys. 48 (1) It became clear during last 5-6 years that the algebraic world of associative algebras (abelian categories, triangulated categories, etc) has many deep connections with the geometric world of two-dimensional surfaces. One of manifestations of this is Deligne's conjecture (1993) which says that on the cohomological Hochschild complex of any associative algebra naturally acts the operad of singular chains in the little discs operad. Recently D. Tamarkin discovered that the operad of chains of the li…
Inspired by recent work of Batanin and Berger on the homotopy theory of operads, a general monad-theoretic context for speaking about structures within structures is presented, and the problem of constructing the universal ambient structure containing the prescribed internal structure is studied. Following the work of Lack, these universal objects must be constructed from simplicial objects arising from our monad-theoretic framework, as certain 2-categorical colimits called codescent objects. We isolate the extra structure present on these simplicial objects which enable their codescent object…
We show that every action operad gives rise to a notion of monoidal category via the categorical version of the Borel construction, embedding action operads into the category of 2-monads on $\mathbf{Cat}$. We characterize those 2-monads in the image of this embedding, and as an example show that the theory of coboundary categories corresponds precisely to the operad of $n$-fruit cactus groups. We finally define $\mathbfΛ$-multicategories for an action operad $\mathbfΛ$, and show that they arise as monads in a Kleisli bicategory.
It is well known that braided monoidal categories are the categorical algebras of the little two-dimensional disks operad. We introduce involutive little disks operads, which are Z/2Z-orbifold versions of the little disks operads. We classify their categorical algebras and describe these explicitly in terms of a finite list of functors, natural isomorphisms and coherence equations. In dimension two, the categorical algebras are braided monoidal categories with an anti-involution together with a pointed module category carrying a universal solution to the (twisted) reflection equation. Main exa…
We make a first step towards categorification of the dendriform operad, using categories of modules over the Tamari lattices. This means that we describe some functors that correspond to part of the operad structure.
Hurwitz spaces are homotopy quotients of the braid group action on the moduli space of principal bundles over a punctured plane. By considering a certain model for this homotopy quotient we build an aspherical topological operad that we call the little bundles operad. As our main result, we describe this operad as a groupoid-valued operad in terms of generators and relations and prove that the categorical little bundles algebras are precisely Turaev's crossed categories. Moreover, we prove that the evaluation on the circle of a homotopical two-dimensional equivariant topolological field theory…
We present a definition of homotopy algebra for an operad, and explore its consequences. The paper should be accessible to topologists, category theorists, and anyone acquainted with operads. After a review of operads and monoidal categories, the definition of homotopy algebra is given. Specifically, suppose that M is a monoidal category in which it makes sense to talk about algebras for some operad P. Then our definition says what a homotopy P-algebra in M is, provided only that some of the morphisms in M have been marked out as `homotopy equivalences'. The bulk of the paper consists of examp…
The abelian category of tetramodules over an associative bialgebra $A$ is related with the Gerstenhaber-Schack (GS) cohomology as $Ext_\Tetra(A,A)=H_\GS(A)$. We construct a 2-fold monoidal structure on the category of tetramodules of a bialgebra. Suppose $C$ is an abelian $n$-fold monoidal category with the unit object $A$. We prove, provided some condition (*), that $Ext_C(A,A)$ is an $(n+1)$-algebra. In the case of bialgebras this condition (*) is satisfied when $A$ is a Hopf algebra. Finally, the GS cohomology of a Hopf algebra is a 3-algebra. As well, we consider this kind of questions of …
We introduce dg Lie algebras controlling the deformations of vertex algebras and vertex Poisson algebras, utilizing the notion of operadic dg Lie algebra and the theory of chiral algebra. In terms of those dg Lie algebras, we formulate the deformation quantization problem of vertex Poisson algebras to vertex algebras.
In this paper, we provide a conceptual new construction of the algebraic structure on the pair of the Hochschild cohomology spectrum (cochain complex) and Hochschild homology spectrum, which is analogous to the structure of calculus on a manifold. This algebraic structure is encoded by a two-colored operad introduced by Kontsevich and Soibelman. We prove that for a stable idempotent-complete infinity-category, the pair of its Hochschild cohomology and homology spectra naturally admits the structure of algebra over the operad. Moreover, we prove a generalization to the equivariant context.
