The May-Milgram filtration and \(\mathcal{E}_k\)-cells (Q2664173)

Let \({\mathcal{E}}_k\) be the little \(k\)-cubes operad. An \({\mathcal{E}}_k\)-algebra is called cellular, if it is built by iterated \({\mathcal{E}}_k\)-cell attachments. Giving an \({\mathcal{E}}_k\)-cell structure to an \({\mathcal{E}}_k\)-algebra \(A\) means giving a weak equivalence between \(A\) and a cellular \({\mathcal{E}}_k\)-algebra. An \({\mathcal{E}}_k\)-cell structure on \(A\) induces an ordinary cell structure on its \(k\)-fold delooping \(B^kA\). In this paper, the authors describe an \({\mathcal{E}}_k\)-cell structure on the free \({\mathcal{E}}_{k+1}\)-algebra on a point. The cell structure on \(B^k{\mathcal{E}}_{k+1}(\ast)\cong \Omega\Sigma{\mathbb{S}}^k\) induced by the \({\mathcal{E}}_k\)-cell structure on \({\mathcal{E}}_{k+1}(\ast)\) agrees with the standard filtration coming from the James construction. The filtration of \(\Omega\Sigma X\) coming from the James construction was generalized by May and Milgram to a filtration on the iterated based loop space \(\Omega^m\Sigma^m X\). By iterating their construction, the authors obtain a filtration of \({\mathcal{E}}_{k+m}(\ast)\) by \({\mathcal{E}}_k\)-algebras. They explain how this can be thought of as a lift of the May-Milgram filtration of \(\Omega^m\Sigma^m{\mathbb{S}}^k\).