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 algebraic models for 2-types that we use are crossed modules, $\mathcal{C}$, and we introduce a notion of formal $\mathcal{C}$-map, which extends the usual lattice-type constructions to this setting. This leads to a classification of `formal' 2-dimensional HQFTs with target $\mathcal{C}$, in terms of crossed $\mathcal{C}$-algebras.
A 3-dimensional homotopy quantum field theory (HQFT) can be described as a TQFT for surfaces and 3-cobordisms endowed with homotopy classes of maps into a given space. For a group $π$, we introduce a notion of a modular crossed $π$-category and show that such a category gives rise to a 3-dimensional HQFT with target space $K(π,1)$. This includes numerical invariants of 3-dimensional $π$-manifolds and a 2-dimensional homotopy modular functor. We also introduce and discuss a parallel notion of a quasitriangular crossed Hopf $π$-coalgebra.
We prove that if $M$ is a CW-complex and $*$ is a 0-cell of $M$, then the crossed module $Π_2(M,M^1,*)$ does not depend on the cellular decomposition of $M$ up to free products with $Π_2(D^2,S^1,*)$, where $M^1$ is the 1-skeleton of $M$. From this it follows that if $G$ is a finite crossed module and $M$ is finite, then the number of crossed module morphisms $Π_2(M,M^1,*) \to G$ (which is finite) can be re-scaled to a homotopy invariant $I_G(M)$ (i. e. not dependent on the cellular decomposition of $M$). We describe an algorithm to calculate $π_2(M,M^{(1)},*)$ as a crossed module over $π_1(M^{…
We give an interpretation of Yetter's Invariant of manifolds $M$ in terms of the homotopy type of the function space $TOP(M,B(G))$, where $G$ is a crossed module and $B(G)$ is its classifying space. From this formulation, there follows that Yetter's invariant depends only on the homotopy type of $M$, and the weak homotopy type of the crossed module $G$. We use this interpretation to define a twisting of Yetter's Invariant by cohomology classes of crossed modules, defined as cohomology classes of their classifying spaces, in the form of a state sum invariant. In particular, we obtain an extensi…
We prove that if $M$ is a CW-complex and $M^1$ is its 1-skeleton then the crossed module $Π_2(M,M^1)$ depends only on the homotopy type of $M$ as a space, up to free products, in the category of crossed modules, with $Π_2(D^2,S^1)$. From this it follows that, if $G$ is a finite crossed module and $M$ is finite, then the number of crossed module morphisms $Π_2(M,M^1) \to G$ can be re-scaled to a homotopy invariant $I_G(M)$, depending only on the homotopy 2-type of $M$. We describe an algorithm for calculating $π_2(M,M^{(1)})$ as a crossed module over $π_1(M^{(1)})$, in the case when $M$ is the …
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.
We apply the idea of a topological quantum field theory (TQFT) to maps from manifolds into topological spaces. This leads to a notion of a (d+1)-dimensional homotopy quantum field theory (HQFT) which may be described as a TQFT for closed d-dimensional manifolds and (d+1)-dimensional cobordisms endowed with homotopy classes of maps into a given space. For a group $π$, we introduce cohomological HQFT's with target $K(π,1)$ derived from cohomology classes of $π$ and its subgroups of finite index. The main body of the paper is concerned with (1+1)-dimensional HQFT's. We classify them in terms of s…
In this paper we introduce generalizations of diagonal crossed products, two-sided crossed products and two-sided smash products, for a quasi-Hopf algebra H. The results we obtain may be applied to H^*-Hopf bimodules and generalized Yetter-Drinfeld modules. The generality of our situation entails that the "generating matrix" formalism cannot be used, forcing us to use a different approach. This pays off because as an application we obtain an easy conceptual proof of an important but very technical result of Hausser and Nill concerning iterated two-sided crossed products.
This article constructs a crossed module corresponding to the generator of the third cohomology group with trivial coefficients of a complex simple Lie algebra. This generator reads as <[,],>, constructed from the Lie bracket [,] and the Killing form <,>. The construction is inspired by the corresponding construction for the Lie algebra of formal vector fields in one formal variable on R, and its subalgebra sl_2(R), where the generator is usually called Godbillon-Vey class.
Using new configuration spaces, we give an explicit construction that extends Kontsevich's Lie-infinity quasi-isomorphism from polyvector fields to Hochschild cochains to a quasi-isomorphism of A-infinity algebras equipped with actions by homotopy derivations of the Lie algebra of polyvector fields. One may term this formality a formality of two-colored noncommutative Gerstenhaber homotopy algebras. In our result the action of polyvector fields by homotopy derivations of the wedge product on polyvector fields is not the adjoint action by the Schouten bracket, but a homotopy nontrivial and, in …
We study homotopy theory of the wheeled prop controlling Poisson structures on arbitrary formal graded finite-dimensional manifolds and prove, in particular, that Grothendieck-Teichmueller group acts on that wheeled prop faithfully and homotopy non-trivially. Next we apply this homotopy theory to the study of the deformation complex of an arbitrary Maxim Kontsevich formality map and compute the full cohomology group of that deformation complex in terms of the cohomology of a certain graph complex introduced earlier by Maxim Kontsevich in [K1] and studied by Thomas Willwacher in [W1].
The Kontsevich-Soibelman solution of the cyclic version of Deligne's conjecture and the formality of the operad of little discs on a cylinder provide us with a natural homotopy calculus structure on the pair (C^*(A), C_*(A)) ``Hochschild cochains + Hochschild chains'' of an associative algebra A. We show that for an arbitrary smooth algebraic variety X with the structure sheaf O_X the sheaf (C^*(O_X), C_*(O_X)) of homotopy calculi is formal. This result was announced in paper [29] by the second and the third author.
In paper arXiv:1109.6031 the author introduced stable formality quasi-isomorphisms and described the set of its homotopy classes. This result can be interpreted as a complete description of formal quantization procedures. In this note we give a brief exposition of stable formality quasi-isomorphisms and prove that every homotopy class of stable formality quasi-isomorphisms contains a representative which admits globalization. This note is loosely based on the talk given by the author at the XXX Workshop on Geometric Methods in Physics in Bialowieza, Poland.
In this paper, we introduce the notions of crossed module of associative conformal algebras, 2-term strongly homotopy associative conformal algebras, and discuss the relationship between them and the 3-th Hochschild cohomology of associative conformal algebras. We classify the non-abelian extensions by introducing the non-abelian cohomology. We show that non-abelian extensions of an associative conformal algebra can be viewed as Maurer-Cartan elements of a suitable differential graded Lie algebra, and prove that the Deligne groupoid of this differential graded Lie algebra corresponds one to on…
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…
The solution of Deligne's conjecture on Hochschild cochains and the formality of the operad of little disks provide us with a natural homotopy Gerstenhaber algebra structure on the Hochschild cochains of an associative algebra. In this paper we construct a natural chain of quasi-isomorphisms of homotopy Gerstenhaber algebras between the Hochschild cochain complex C(A) of a regular commutative algebra A over a field of characteristic zero and the Gerstenhaber algebra of multiderivations of A. Unlike the original approach of the second author based on the computation of obstructions our method a…
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…
The strong homotopy Lie algebra, controlling simultaneous deformations of a morphism of associative algebras and its domain and codomain is constructed. Isomorphism of the cohomology of this strong homotopy Lie algebra with the classical construction is shown.
Using the BV-formalism of mathematical physics an explicit construction for the minimal model of a quantum L-infinity-algebra is given as a formal super integral. The approach taken herein to these formal integrals is axiomatic; they can be approached using perturbation theory to obtain combinatorial formulae as shown in the appendix. Additionally, there exists a canonical differential graded Lie algebra morphism mapping formal functions on homology to formal functions on the whole space. An L-infinity-algebra morphism inverse to this differential graded Lie algebra morphism on the level of ho…
We find crossed modules, i.e. certain 4 term exact sequences, associated to the Godbillon-Vey class for W_1, Vect(S^1), Vect_{1,0}(Σ) and Hol(Σ_r), i.e. for the Lie algebras of formal vector fields in 1 variable, vector fields on the circle, differentiable vector fields of holomorphic type on a Riemann surface and holomorphic vector fields on an open Riemann surface.
There is a homotopy hypercommutative algebra structure on the cohomology of a Calabi-Yau variety. The truncation of this homotopy hypercommutative algebra to a strict hypercommutative algebra is well-known as a mathematical realization of the genus zero B-model. It is shown that this truncation loses no information for some cases, including all Calabi-Yau 3-folds.
This paper is devoted to the study of the relation between `formal exponential maps,' the Atiyah class, and Kapranov $L_\infty[1]$ algebras associated with dg manifolds in the $C^\infty$ context. Given a dg manifold, we prove that a `formal exponential map' exists if and only if the Atiyah class vanishes. Inspired by Kapranov's construction of a homotopy Lie algebra associated with the holomorphic tangent bundle of a complex manifold, we prove that the space of vector fields on a dg manifold admits an $L_\infty[1]$ algebra structure, unique up to isomorphism, whose unary bracket is the Lie der…
We present a connection between the BFV-complex (abbreviation for Batalin-Fradkin-Vilkovisky complex) and the so-called strong homotopy Lie algebroid associated to a coisotropic submanifold of a Poisson manifold. We prove that the latter structure can be derived from the BFV-complex by means of homotopy transfer along contractions. Consequently the BFV-complex and the strong homotopy Lie algebroid structure are $L_{\infty}$ quasi-isomorphic and control the same formal deformation problem. However there is a gap between the non-formal information encoded in the BFV-complex and in the strong hom…
A first goal of this paper is to precisely relate the homotopy theories of bialgebras and $E_2$-algebras. For this, we construct a conservative and fully faithful $\infty$-functor from pointed conilpotent homotopy bialgebras to augmented $E_2$-algebras which consists in an appropriate "cobar" construction. Then we prove that the (derived) formal moduli problem of homotopy bialgebras structures on a bialgebra is equivalent to the (derived) formal moduli problem of $E_2$-algebra structures on this "cobar" construction. We show consequently that the $E_3$-algebra structure on the higher Hochschil…
Let \G be a (weak) quasi-Hopf algebra. Using a two-sided \G-coaction on an algebra \M, we construct what we call the diagonal crossed product as a new associative algebra structure on \M\otimes \dG, where \dG is the dual of \G. This construction is largely motivated by the special case \M = \G, for which we obtain an explicit definition of the quantum double \D(\G) for quasi-Hopf algebras. Applications of our formalism include the field algebra construction of Mack and Schomerus as well as the formulation of Hopf Spin chains or lattice current algebras based on truncated quantum groups at root…
We study two colored operads of configurations of little $n$-disks in a unit $n$-disk, with the centers of the small disks of one color restricted to an $m$-plane, $m<n$. We compute the rational homotopy type of these \emph{extended Swiss Cheese operads} and show how they are connected to the rational homotopy types of the inclusion maps from the little $m$-disks to the little $n$-disks operad.
We set up a formalism of Maurer-Cartan moduli sets for L-infinity algebras and associated twistings based on the closed model category structure on formal differential graded algebras (a.k.a. differential graded coalgebras). Among other things this formalism allows us to give a compact and manifestly homotopy invariant treatment of Chevalley-Eilenberg and Harrison cohomology. We apply the developed technology to construct rational homotopy models for function spaces.
We define a quasiclassical limit of the Lian-Zuckerman homotopy BV algebra (quasiclassical LZ algebra) on the subcomplex, corresponding to "light modes", i.e. the elements of zero conformal weight, of the semi-infinite (BRST) cohomology complex of the Virasoro algebra associated with vertex operator algebra (VOA) with a formal parameter. We also construct a certain deformation of the BRST differential parametrized by a constant two-component tensor, such that it leads to the deformation of the $A_{\infty}$-subalgebra of the quasiclassical LZ algebra. Altogether this gives a functor the categor…
