Rational homotopy theory and differential graded category (Q2655015)

The author gives a generalization to spaces with finite fundamental group of \textit{D. Sullivan}'s rational homotopy theory of simply connected spaces [Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 47, 269--331 (1977; Zbl 0374.57002)]. The formulation is here given in dgCat, the category of small dg-categories. The author defines a subcategory dgCat\(_{cl}\) consisting of ``closed tensor'' dg-categories (a variant of closed symmetric monoidal categories) and obtains an equivalence between the homotopy categories of rational simplicial spaces with finite fundamental group and a full subcategory of dgCat\(_{cl}.\) The key step is the proof that dgCat\(_{cl}\) admits a Quillen closed model structure. This latter result depends upon work of Tabuada who proved the corresponding result for dgCat and gave an extension of Quillen's path object to this setting [\textit{G. Tabuada}, C. R., Math., Acad. Sci. Paris 340, No.~1, 15--19 (2005; Zbl 1060.18010); and J. K-Theory 3, No.~1, 53--75 (2009; Zbl 1170.18007)]. An important geometric feature of Sullivan's work is also extended. The author shows that the real homotopy type of a smooth manifold \(M\) is given by this theory as the closed tensor dg-category of flat bundles over \(M\).