$E_n$-cell attachments and a local-to-global principle for homological stability

Abstract

We define bounded generation for $E_n$-algebras in chain complexes and prove that for $n \geq 2$ this property is equivalent to homological stability. Using this we prove a local-to-global principle for homological stability, which says that if an $E_n$-algebra $A$ has homological stability (or equivalently the topological chiral homology $\int_{R^n} A$ has homology stability), then so has the topological chiral homology $\int_M A$ of any connected non-compact manifold $M$. Using scanning, we reformulate the local-to-global homological stability principle in a way that also applies to compact manifolds. We also give several applications of our results