A duality between string topology and the fusion product in equivariant \(K\)-theory (Q2459318)

Let \(M\) be an oriented closed manifold and let \(\mathcal LM\) be its free loop space, then the singular homology of \(\mathcal LM\) is equipped with a commutative product called the loop product. This product is due to Chas and Sullivan and is the basic operation of string topology. Now if we consider a classifying space of a compact Lie group \(\mathcal G\) the cohomology of \(\mathcal LBG\) is equipped with a product called the fusion product (not to be confused with the cup poduct). If we work with twisted \(K\)-theory instead of singular cohomology this product is related to the fusion product of the Verlinde algebra. In this paper the author studies a situation in between the loop and the fusion products. She considers the adjoint bundle of a principal \(G\)-bundle \[ G\rightarrow E\rightarrow M \] and proves that the homology of the total space of the adjoint bundle is a Frobenius algebra where the product is a kind of loop product and the coproduct is the linear dual of the fusion product. She also studies the Spanier-Whitehead duality for the Thom spectrum \(Ad(E)^{-TM}\) of the virtual bundle \(-p^*(TM)\) where \(p\) is the projection of the adjoint bundle \(p:Ad(E)\rightarrow M\). As it is a finite spectrum it has a dual, this dual is a co-ring spectrum and this structure realizes the fusion product at a stable level.