$E_2$ structures and derived Koszul duality in string topology (Q2414163)

\textit{R. L. Cohen} and \textit{J. D. S. Jones} [Math. Ann. 324, No. 4, 773--798 (2002; Zbl 1025.55005)] have given a homotopical interpretation of the loop product in string topology due to Chas and Sullivan by relating a certain Thom spectrum of the free loop space \(LM\) of a closed orientable manifold \(M\) with the topological Hochschild cohomology \(\text{THC}(DM)\) of the Spanier-Whitehead dual \(DM\). The homology of \(\text{THC}(DM)\) is canonically isomorphic to the Hochschild cohomology \(HH^*(C^*(M))\) of the cochain algebra \(C^*(M)\). Cohen-Jones in [loc. cit.] produced an isomorphism between the loop homology of \(M\) with the loop product and the Hochschild cohomology with the cup product. In [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 199, No. 1--3, 43--59 (2005; Zbl 1076.55003)], \textit{Y. Félix} et al. have constructed an isomorphism of Gerstenhaber algebras \(HH^*(C^*(M))\cong HH^*(\overline{\Omega}C_*(M))\) when \(M\) is simply connected, where \(\overline\Omega C_*(M)\) denotes the cobar construction. The homology of \(\text{THC}(\Sigma_+^\infty \Omega M)\) is isomorphic to \(HH^*(\overline{\Omega}C_*(M))\). Therefore, a spectral model version of the result due to Félix, Menichi and Thomas is expected. In the paper under review, Theorem A shows that for a simply connected finite cell complex \(X\), the topological Hochschild cohomologies \(\text{THC}(DX)\) and \(\text{THC}(\Sigma_+^\infty \Omega X)\) are weakly equivalent as \(E_2\) ring spectra. The paper considers a generalization for \(\text{THC}\) in the setting of small spectral categories which generalize associative ring spectra. The small category is enriched over spectra. More precisely, it has a \textit{bi-indexed} spectrum as a set of morphisms. The topological Hochschild cohomology of a small spectral category \({\mathcal C}\) is defined by \(\text{THC}({\mathcal C}) = \text{CC}({\mathcal C}^{\text{Cell}, \Omega})\) with the Hochschild-Mitchell construction \(\text{CC}\) and a cofibrant-fibrant replacement \({\mathcal C}^{\text{Cell}, \Omega}\) of \({\mathcal C}\) in a topologically enriched closed model category. Let \({\mathcal C}\) and \({\mathcal D}\) be small spectral categories and \({\mathcal M}\) a \(({\mathcal C}, {\mathcal D})\)-bimodule. Then there are canonical maps in the category of homotopical \(({\mathcal C}, {\mathcal C})\)-bimodules and homotopical \(({\mathcal D}, {\mathcal D})\)-bimodules \[ {\mathcal C} \to {\mathbb R}\text{Hom}_{{\mathcal D}^{\text{op}}}({\mathcal M}, {\mathcal M}) \ \ \text{and} \ \ {\mathcal D} \to {\mathbb R}\text{Hom}_{{\mathcal C}}({\mathcal M}, {\mathcal M}), \] respectively. By definition, we say that \({\mathcal M}\) satisfies the \textit{double centralizer condition} when these both maps are weak equivalences and the \textit{single centralizer condition for} \({\mathcal D}\) when the second map (out of \({\mathcal D}\)) is a weak equivalence. Tying in the double centralizer condition with weak equivalences between the Hochschild-Mitchell constructions for certain small spectral categories (Theorem 5.7), the authors deduce the following result which is regarded as the spectral version of the main theorem of \textit{B. Keller} [``Derived invariance of higher structures on the Hochschild complex'', Preprint, \url{https://webusers.imj-prg.fr/~bernhard.keller/publ/dih.pdf}]. Theorem E. Let \({\mathcal C}\) and \({\mathcal D}\) be small spectral categories and \({\mathcal M}\) a \(({\mathcal C}, {\mathcal D})\)-bimodule that satisfies the single centralizer condition for \({\mathcal D}\), then there exists a canonical map \(\text{THC}({\mathcal C}) \to \text{THC}({\mathcal D})\) in the homotopy category of \(E_2\) ring spectra. If \({\mathcal M}\) satisfies the double centralizer condition, then \(\text{THC}({\mathcal C}) \to \text{THC}({\mathcal D})\) is an isomorphism in the homotopy category of \(E_2\) ring spectra. Theorem A follows from Theorem E as an immediate corollary.