A-infinity algebras, strand algebras, and contact categories (Q1983539)

An \emph{arc diagram} is defined as a triple \(\mathcal{Z}=(Z,a,M)\), where \(Z\) is a finite sequence of oriented line segments, \(a\) is a sequence of \(2k\) distinct points of \(Z\) in order along \(Z\), and \(M\) is a 2-to-1 function \(a\to \{1,\dots,k\}\). Such a triple needs to have the property that after performing oriented surgery on \(Z\) at each 0-sphere \(M^{-1}(i)\) the resulting 1-manifold is a union of arcs. To an arc diagram \(\mathcal{Z}\) one can associate the strand algebra \(\mathcal{A}(\mathcal{Z})\), which is a differential graded algebra generated by strand diagrams on \(\mathcal{Z}\). The corresponding homology is denoted by \(H(\mathcal{A}(\mathcal{Z}))\). In earlier work [Geom. Topol. 23, No. 2, 637--683 (2019; Zbl 1419.53076)] the author showed that \( H(\mathcal{A}(\mathcal{Z}))\) is isomorphic to \( CA(\Sigma,Q)\), where \((\Sigma,Q)\) is a ``quadrangulated surface'' and where \(CA(\Sigma,Q)\) is the algebra of a contact category, with objects and morphisms given by certain contact structures on \(\Sigma\times [0,1]\). Thus any construction on \( H(\mathcal{A}(\mathcal{Z}))\) also has interesting applications to contact topology. In this paper the author shows that a pair ordering of \(\mathcal{Z}\) can be used to define an explict \(A_\infty\) structure \(X\) on \(H(\mathcal{A}(\mathcal{Z}))\). Furthermore the author gives necessary conditions under which these \(A_\infty\) maps are nontrivial. As the author writes, this papers consists of an investigation of \(A_\infty\)-structures on \( H(\mathcal{A}(\mathcal{Z}))\) from a contact-geometric perspective.