The intrinsic formality of \(E_n\)-operads (Q783727): Difference between revisions

The second generation of proofs of the existence of deformation quantizations of Poisson manifolds by \textit{M. Kontsevich} [Lett. Math. Phys. 48, 35--72 (1999; Zbl 0945.18008)], the interpretation of the Goodwillie-Weiss tower of embedding spaces in terms of homotopy of \(E_n\)-operads by \textit{G. Arone} and \textit{V. Turchin} [Geom. Topol. 18, 1261--1322 (2014; Zbl 1312.57034)] and other results confirm that applications of \(E_n\)-operads, as objects governing homotopy commutative structures, have recently multiplied. This paper fits these new developments of the theory of \(E_n\)-operads. Its goal is to prove a rational intrinsic formality theorem, which implies the formality of \(E_n\)-operads (over the rationals), and which asserts that \(E_n\)-operads (up to rational homotopy equivalence) are characterized by their homology when \(n\ge 3\). The authors establish this result in the category of operads in topological spaces, and in the category of Hopf cooperads in cochain differential graded \(\mathbb{Q}\)-modules. These results enable to retrieve the (real) formality theorems of M. Kontsevich by a new approach, and to handle the question of the existence of formality quasi-isomorphisms defined over the rationals.