Infinite loop spaces from operads with homological stability (Q1673991)

The authors define a general notion of ``(topological) operad with homological stability''. An operad \(\mathscr{O} = \{\mathscr{O}(n)\}\) has this structure if each component is graded, i.e. \(\mathscr{O}(n) = \bigsqcup_{g \geq 0} \mathscr{O}_g(n)\); each structure map \(\mathscr{O}_g(n) \to \mathscr{O}_g(0)\) is an isomorphism on homology in large degrees; and there exists an \(A_\infty\)-operad \(\mathscr{A}\) concentrated in degree zero and a map \(\mu : \mathscr{A} \to \mathscr{O}\) such that \(\mu(\mathscr{A}(2))\) is path-connected. In particular, any \(\mathscr{O}\)-algebra is an \(H\)-monoid using \(\mu\). In general, there are obstructions for lifting a given \(H\)-monoid \(X\) structure on a space to the structure of an infinite loop space on the group completion of \(X\) (i.e. an \(E_\infty\)-algebra structure on \(X\)). The authors prove that, thanks to the homological stability of \(\mathscr{O}\), the group completion of any \(\mathscr{O}\)-algebra is always equipped with a (functorial) infinite loop space structure. As an example, they consider the operad \(\mathcal{W}^{2k}\), where \(\mathcal{W}^{2k}_g(j)\) is given by moduli spaces of \((S^k \times S^k)^{\sharp g} \setminus \{0,\dots,j\}\) with a lift of the tangential structure of the \(k\)-connected cover of \(BO(2k)\). Using recent results of \textit{S. Galatius} and \textit{O. Randal-Williams} [``Homological stability for moduli spaces of high dimensional manifolds. II'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1601.00232}], they prove that \(\mathcal{W}^{2k}\) has homological stability. As a consequence, given a \(2k\)-dimensional TQFT (with \(2k \geq 2\)), the image of \(S^{2k-1}\) is an \(A_\infty\)-monoid whose group completion is an infinite loop space.