The rational homology of spaces of long links (Q276572)

The purpose of this paper is a study of the rational homology of spaces of long links \(\overline{\mathcal L}_m^d\), \(d\geq 4\), namely the space of smooth embeddings (modulo immersions) of \(\sqcup_m \mathbb R\to\mathbb R^d\) that are fixed outside a compact set. The author shows that, for \(d\geq 4\), the rational homology of \(\overline{\mathcal L}_m^d\) is the \(\vee_{i=1}^m S^1\)-homology of the homology of \(B_d\), the little \(d\)-discs operad. He also shows that a certain spectral sequence built out of configuration spaces and converging to rational homology of \(\overline{\mathcal L}_m^d\) collapses. To explain, in [\textit{B. A. Munson} and \textit{I. Volić}, J. Homotopy Relat. Struct. 9, No. 2, 419--454 (2014; Zbl 1312.57030)], the authors describe a cosimplicial model for \(\overline{\mathcal L}_m^d\) whose entries are configuration spaces \(\text{Conf}(mp, \mathbb R^d)\) of \(mp\) points in \(\mathbb R^d\), for \(p\geq 0\). The homology of this cosimplicial space gives a cosimplicial chain complex \(L_*^\bullet\), and one of the author's main result in the paper under review is that the totalization of \(L_*^\bullet\) is quasi-isomorphic to \(C_*(\overline{\mathcal L}_m^d)\otimes\mathbb Q\). The totalization of \(L_*^\bullet\) can also be interpreted as follows: View \(H_*(B_d,\mathbb Q)\) as a contravariant functor from the category of finite pointed sets to chain complexes. Take the simplicial object \((\vee_{i=1}^m S^1)_\bullet\) and compose it with \(H_*(B_d,\mathbb Q)\). The result, \(H_*(B_d,\mathbb Q)((\vee_{i=1}^m S^1)_\bullet)\) is another way to think about the cosimplicial chain complex \(L_*^\bullet\) and its homology is what the author calls the \(\vee_{i=1}^m S^1\)-homology of \(H_*(B_d,\mathbb Q)\). The second main result of the paper is that the rational homology Bousfield-Kan spectral sequence associated to the cosimplicial model for \(\overline{\mathcal L}_m^d\) collapses at the \(E^2\) page. This is a result that is analogous to the one for the space of knots, established in [\textit{P. Lambrechts} et al., Geom. Topol. 14, No. 4, 2151--2187 (2010; Zbl 1222.57020)]. The author is also able to deduce, using the approach of \textit{G. Komawila} and \textit{P. Lambrechts} [Bull. Belg. Math. Soc. - Simon Stevin 20, No. 5, 843--857 (2013; Zbl 1283.57027)], that the Betti numbers of \(\overline{\mathcal L}_m^d\) grow at least exponentially. Lastly, the author exhibits a generalization of his main result to space of long embeddings (modulo immersions) of \(\sqcup_m \mathbb R^n\to\mathbb R^d\). Namely, he shows that the rational homology of this space is \(\vee_{i=1}^m S^n\)-homology of the homology of \(B_d\), for \(d\geq 2n+2\). The paper is well-written, with all the necessary background provided, and with sections devoted to a review of manifold calculus of functors which is the starting point for the entire approach to studying knots and links via cosimplicial models.