\(A_\infty\)-actions and recognition of relative loop spaces (Q281707)

The main purpose of the paper under review is to establish a relative version of the Stasheff recognition theorem, which asserts that a group-like \(A_{\infty}\)-space \(Y\) is weakly equivalent to a one-fold loop space \(\Omega(X)\), for some space \(X = BY\) functorially associated to \(Y\). Recall simply that the structure of an \(A_{\infty}\)-space \(Y\) is defined in terms of an action of the operad of associahedra, and that an \(A_{\infty}\)-space \(Y\) is group-like if the set of connected components of this space \(\pi_0(Y)\) forms a group. The delooped space \(X = BY\) is given by a bar construction on the category of \(A_{\infty}\)-spaces. The authors consider pairs \((Y,E)\), where \(Y\) is an \(A_{\infty}\)-space again, which we will still assume to be group-like, and \(E\) is a space equipped with an \(A_{\infty}\)-action of this space \(Y\), which we can again define in terms of an action of the operad of associahedra. We then consider operation schemes with a rightmost input in \(E\), the other inputs in \(Y\), and the output in \(E\). In fact, we have a notion of a left \(A_{\infty}\)-action and another notion of a right \(A_{\infty}\)-action, with a difference given by the expression of the associativity relation in the latter definition of the action of the operad of associahedra on the spaces \((Y,E)\). The authors prove that such a pair \((Y,E)\), where \(Y\) is a group-like \(A_{\infty}\)-space and \(E\) is a space equipped with a left \(A_{\infty}\)-action of \(Y\), is weakly equivalent to a pair \((\Omega(X'),\Omega(X',A'))\), where we now consider the relative loop space \(\Omega(X',A')\) associated to a pair \((A',X')\) such that \(A'\subset X'\), and which we define as the homotopy fiber of the map \(\Omega(A')\rightarrow\Omega(X')\) induced by the space inclusion \(A'\subset X'\). The space \(X'\) is given by a variant of the canonical delooping \(X = BY\). To be explicit, the authors define a two-sided version of the bar construction of \(A_{\infty}\)-spaces \(B(M,Y,N)\) such that \(BY = B(*,Y,*)\), for any space \(M\) (respectively, \(N\)) equipped with a right (respectively, left) action of the \(A_{\infty}\)-space \(Y\). To establish their relative delooping result, they take \((X',A') = (B(*,Y,CE),B(*,Y,E))\), where \(CE\) denotes the cone of the space \(E\). We obviously have \(CE\sim *\Rightarrow BY = B(*,Y,*)\mathop{\rightarrow}\limits^{\sim} B(*,Y,CE)\), and the authors also check that their weak equivalence \(E\sim\Omega(X',A')\) carries the \(A_{\infty}\)-action of the space \(Y\) on \(E\) to a natural \(A_{\infty}\)-action of the loop space \(\Omega(X) = \Omega(BY)\) on the relative loop space \(\Omega(X',A')\) through \(\Omega(X') = \Omega(B(*,Y,CE))\). To complete this study, the authors examine other models of the definition of an \(A_{\infty}\)-action, in terms of a Boardman-Vogt construction on a certain colored operad first, and in terms of the Swiss-cheese operad afterwards.