Multiplicative formality of operads and Sinha's spectral sequence for long knots (Q2342113)

This paper concerns the description of the homology of \(\overline{\text{Emb}}_d\), the space of long knots modulo immersions in \(\mathbb R^d\) (this is the homotopy fiber of the inclusion of the space of embeddings of \(\mathbb R\) in \(\mathbb R^d\) that agree with the standard embedding of \(\mathbb R\) outside some compact set into the space of immersions of the same spaces with the same conditions). Based on the theory of manifold calculus of functors, Sinha constructed in [\textit{D. P. Sinha}, J. Am. Math. Soc. 19, No. 2, 461--486 (2006; Zbl 1112.57004)] a cosimplicial space \(\mathcal K_d^{\bullet}\) associated to the Kontsevich operad \(\mathcal K_d\) (this operad essentially consists of Fulton-MacPherson compactifications of configuration spaces of points in \(\mathbb R^d\) and is homotopy equivalent to the little balls operad) and showed that the totalization of this cosimplicial space is equivalent to \(\overline{\text{Emb}}_d\) for \(d\geq 4\). In addition, one has a homology spectral sequence associated to \(\mathcal K_d^{\bullet}\) that converges to the totalization, and hence to the homology of \(\overline{\text{Emb}}_d\), for \(d\geq 4\). In [\textit{P. Lambrechts} et al., Geom. Topol. 14, No. 4, 2151--2187 (2010; Zbl 1222.57020)], the authors showed that this homology spectral sequence collapses rationally at the \(E^2\) page for \(d\geq 4\). As a consequence, one gets that the homology of \(\overline{\text{Emb}}_d\), \(d\geq 4\), is the Hochschild homology of the Poisson operad in degree \(d-1\); the Poisson operad is the homology of the Kontsevich operad, which is the input into the \(E^2\) page of the spectral sequence, and taking its Hochschild homology just means that one takes the total complex of this \(E^2\) page. The proof of the above result uses relative formality of the little balls operad, i.e.~the statement that there exists a chain of quasi-isomorphisms between the little 1-balls and the little \(d\)-balls operad for \(d\geq 3\). However, due to technical difficulties, the result that is obtained is only valid for knots in dimension \(\geq 4\). The important main result of the paper under review is a new and simplified proof of this result, and, more importantly, its extension to the case \(d=3\). To accomplish this, the author uses the existence of a model category structure on the category of nonsymmetric operads. This allows him to make a cofibrant replacement of the 1-balls operad in the statement of relative formality, which in turn leads to the conclusion that the operad of chains on \(\mathcal K_d\) is \textit{multiplicatively} formal for \(d\geq 3\). This means that the \(E^2\) page of the homology spectral sequence, which consists of chains on \(\mathcal K_d\), can be replaced by the homology of \(\mathcal K_d\). However, the differential in the latter spectral sequence is zero, and the collapse follows. The author in addition deduces that, for \(d\geq 3\), there is an isomorphism of Gerstenhaber algebras between the Hochschild homologies of the chains on \(\mathcal K_d\) and the Poisson operad in degree \(d-1\). Even though the main result of this paper says that the spectral sequence associated to \(\mathcal K_3^{\bullet}\) collapses, it is not known whether the spectral sequence converges to the totalization of \(\mathcal K_3^{\bullet}\). In addition, it is not known whether this totalization is equivalent to \(\overline{\text{Emb}}_3\). These two problems interfere with relating the Hochschild homology of the degree 2 Poisson operad back to the homology of \(\overline{\text{Emb}}_3\); a further study of these issues could be interesting and fruitful in terms of our understanding of the topology of spaces of classical knots.