String topology in three flavours

Florian Naef; Manuel Rivera; Nathalie Wahl

Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2203.02429

String topology in three flavours

Florian Naef·Manuel Rivera·Nathalie Wahl

View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

We describe two major string topology operations, the Chas-Sullivan product and the Goresky-Hingston coproduct, from geometric and algebraic perspectives. The geometric construction uses Thom-Pontrjagin intersection theory while the algebraic construction is phrased in terms of Hochschild homology. We give computations of products and coproducts on lens spaces via geometric intersection, and deduce that the coproduct distinguishes 3-dimensional lens spaces. Algebraically, we describe the structure these operations define together on the Tate-Hochschild complex. We use rational homotopy theory methods to sketch the equivalence between the geometric and algebraic definitions for simply connected manifolds and real coefficients, emphasizing the role of configuration spaces. Finally, we study invariance properties of the operations, both algebraically and geometrically.

Explore related subjects

math.AT math.QA

Keep this discovery

BibTeX RIS

Florian Naef, Manuel Rivera, Nathalie Wahl. 2022-03-04. String topology in three flavours. https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.02429

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Homogeneous Milnor fibers and Kato--Matsumoto bounds via simplicial multiwedges

For every $n\geq 3$ and $s\geq 2$, we construct a homogeneous polynomial of degree $n(n+1)/2$ whose Milnor fiber is exactly $2s$-connected and whose rational cohomology contains a strictly defined nontrivial $n$-fold Massey product on classes of degree $2s+1$, implying that the Milnor fiber is non-formal, while attaining the Kato--Matsumoto connectivity bound. Our construction is based on the simplicial multiwedges of the nerve complexes of simple polytopes introduced by Limonchenko, combined with Suciu's realization of weighted homogeneous Milnor fibers. We thereby answer two problems posed by Suciu.

math.AT↗

arXiv2026

The homotopy types of directed path and trace spaces

We construct a saturated directed space with a Hausdorff $\Delta$-generated underlying space and two distinct points such that the trace space between them is homeomorphic to a square, whereas the directed path space has a nontrivial fundamental group. In particular, the canonical quotient map is not a weak homotopy equivalence. The same conclusion holds for regular directed paths modulo increasing homeomorphisms.

math.AT↗

arXiv2026

Moduli spaces of geometric functorial field theories

We develop tools to compute moduli spaces of geometric functorial field theories as mapping spaces of equivariant simplicial presheaves. Given a d-dimensional geometric structure F, presented as a presheaf on the site of smooth families of d-manifolds, we define its Cartesian realization, which is an O(d)-equivariant simplicial presheaf on the site of Cartesian spaces. We use Cartesian realizations to present the moduli space of functorial field theories with geometric structure F as a mapping space between O(d)-equivariant simplicial presheaves. In a companion paper, we use this result to compute the moduli space of smooth one-dimensional oriented Riemannian functorial field theories valued in an arbitrary smooth symmetric monoidal infinity-category.

math.AT↗