Combinatorics and formal geometry of the Maurer-Cartan equation (Q1941039)

The authors study solutions of the Maurer-Cartan equation (Maurer-Cartan elements) in \(L_{\infty}\)-algebras (respectively, \(A_{\infty}\)-algebras) from the viewpoint of formal geometry and operad theory. They define an operad \(\mathcal{L}_{\infty}\) (respectively, \(\mathcal{A}_{\infty}\)) governing the structure formed by a pair \((V,\xi)\), where \(V = (V,m)\) is an \(L_{\infty}\)-algebra (respectively, an \(A_{\infty}\)-algebra) and \(\xi\) is a Maurer-Cartan element in \(V\) with values in any (fixed) complete commutative dg-algebra \(A\). They revisit the correspondence between \(L_{\infty}\)-algebra (respectively, \(A_{\infty}\)-algebra) structures and odd vector fields, and they make explicit an automorphism \(\mathrm{tw}\) on the operad \(\mathcal{L}_{\infty}\) (respectively, \(\mathcal{A}_{\infty}\)) that corresponds to a twisting operation \((V,m)\mapsto(V,m^{\xi})\) on the \(L_{\infty}\)-algebras (respectively, \(A_{\infty}\)-algebras) \(V = (V,m)\) equipped with a Maurer-Cartan element \(\xi\). They examine an extension of this construction for algebras over operads \(\mathcal{O}\) equipped with a morphism \(l_{\infty}\rightarrow\mathcal{O}\), where \(l_{\infty}\) denotes the operad governing \(L_{\infty}\)-algebras. They define a functor on operads \(\mathrm{tw}: \mathcal{O}\mapsto\mathrm{tw}\mathcal{O}\) so that \(\mathrm{tw}\mathcal{O}\) governs the \(\mathcal{O}\)-algebras of which structure has been twisted by a Maurer-Cartan element. The operad governing \(L_{\infty}\)-algebras (respectively, \(A_{\infty}\)-algebras) actually represents a homotopy fixed point for this twisting operation on operads. This functor \(\mathrm{tw}: \mathcal{O}\mapsto\mathrm{tw}\mathcal{O}\) has also been studied by \textit{V. Dolgushev} and \textit{T. Willwacher} for the purpose of establishing the homotopy invariance of solutions of the Deligne conjecture under twisting operations (see [``Operadic twisting -- with an application to Deligne's conjecture'', \url{arXiv:1207.2180}]).