Combinatorial \(N_\infty\) operads (Q2070103)

In this paper, the author considers \(N_\infty\) operads. An \(N_\infty\) operad is a \(G\)-equivariant operad that parametrizes a homotopy coherent commutative monoid structure together with a compatible system of transfers. When \(G\) is a trivial group, an \(N_\infty\) operad is just an \(E_\infty\) operad. In [\textit{A. J. Blumberg} and \textit{M. A. Hill}, Adv. Math. 285, 658--708 (2015; Zbl 1329.55012)], Blumberg and Hill began a program for classifying \(N_\infty\) operads. Given any \(N_\infty\) operad \({\mathcal{O}}\), they constructed an indexing system, which encodes the transfers of \({\mathcal{O}}\). The purpose of this paper is to reduce the theory of \(N_\infty\) operads to combinatorics. The author does this by introducing discrete analogues to \(N_\infty\) operads, which he calls \(N\) operads. He proves that the category of \(N_\infty\) operads and the category of \(N\) operads have equivalent hammock localizations. This equivalence respects indexing systems. In [op. cit.], Blumberg and Hill conjectured that every indexing system is realized by some \(N_\infty\) operad. The author proves the conjecture by using \(N\) operads. The conjecture has also been proved independently and by different methods by \textit{J. J. Gutiérrez} and \textit{D. White} [Algebr. Geom. Topol. 18, No. 5, 2919--2962 (2018; Zbl 1406.55002)] and \textit{P. Bonventre} and \textit{L. A. Pereira} [Adv. Math. 381, Article ID 107502, 134 p. (2021; Zbl 1464.18017)].