Deformation of string topology into homotopy skein modules (Q1411954)

In \textit{M. Chas} and \textit{D. Sullivan} [String Topology, preprint (1999)], the authors discovered the structure of a graded Lie algebra on the equivariant homology of the free loop space of an oriented smooth or combinatorial \(d\)-manifold. In \textit{A. S. Cattaneo, J. Fröhlich} and \textit{B. Pedrini} [Commun. Math. Phys. 240, No. 3, 397--421 (2003; Zbl 1052.81095)], the authors offered ideas on the quantization of string topology. In the paper reviewed here, the author uses Vassil'iev's notions of transversality of families as described in \textit{V. A. Vassi'ev} [Complements of Discriminants of Smooth Maps: Topology and Applications, (Revised Edition, Translations of Mathematical Monographs Volume 98, AMS) (1994; Zbl 0762.55001)] to offer a different approach relating Chas-Sullivan theory to quantum topology. Specifically, the Chas-Sullivan structure measures the oriented intersections between loops in a 1-dimensional family and those in a 0-dimensional family. The author extends this to equivalence classes of link homotopy classes of oriented links in a 3-manifold under certain relations, which is essentially the skein module of \textit{J. Hoste} and \textit{J. Przytycki} [Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc 108, 475--488 (1990; Zbl 0713.57007)]. This gives new insight into the skein modules of Hoste and Przytycki in the setting of quantum topology. The author interprets his work as a \textit{weak extension} to all orientable 3-manifolds of results of \textit{V. Turaev} [Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér., IV. Sér. 24, No. 6, 635--704 (1991; Zbl 0758.57011)] and \textit{W. Goldman} [Invent. Math. 85, 263--302 (1986; Zbl 0619.58021)] concerning intersection and skein theory on oriented surfaces.