Cap products in string topology (Q1022515): Difference between revisions

Let \(M\) be a closed oriented smooth \(d\)-manifold, \(p:LM\to M\) be the loop fibration and \(s\) the canonical section of \(p\). M. Chas and D. Sullivan have proved that the shifted homology of \(LM\), denoted \(\mathbb{H} (LM)\), is a BV-algebra. Recall that a BV-algebra is a graded commutative algebra equipped with a degree 1 Lie bracket and a degree 1 operator \(\Delta\) satisfying some classical relations \((\Delta^2=0\), Poisson, Jacobi,\dots). In particular, a BV-algebra is a Gerstenhaber algebra. The author proves that the cap product with a class \(\alpha^*:=H^*(p) (\alpha)\), \(\alpha\in H^*(M)\) is compatible with the BV-structure. Namely: (a) \(\alpha^*\cap-\) is a derivation of degree \(\deg\alpha\) for the loop product, (b) \(\Delta(\alpha^*\cap-)\) is a derivation of degree \(\deg\alpha-1\) for the bracket, (c) for any \(b\in\mathbb{H}(LM)\), \(\Delta (\alpha^* \cap b)=\Delta(\alpha^*)\cap b+(-1)^{\deg\alpha}\alpha^* \cap\Delta(b)\). The author gives an alternate elementary and purely theoretic proof of the Poisson and Jacobi identities in \(\mathbb{H}(LM)\) and also a purely homotopy theoretic interpretation of the loop product and the bracket if one of the element is in the image of \(H_*(s):\mathbb{H}(M)\to \mathbb{H}(LM)\). Namely, let \(a=\alpha\cap[M]\) be the Poincaré dual of \(\alpha\in H^*(M)\) then, for any \(b\in\mathbb{H}(LM)\), \(\alpha^* \cap b\) is the loop product of \(H_*(s)(a)\) and \(b\) while \(\pm\Delta(\alpha^*) \cap b\) is the bracket of \(H_*(s)(a)\) and \(b\).