Combinatorial Hopf algebras from PROs (Q314061)

A combinatorial Hopf algebra is a graded bialgebra with finite dimension in each grade and dimension 1 in the lowest grade. A PRO is a combinatorial object defined on a bigraded set \((\mathcal P)=\sqcup {\mathcal P}(p,q)\), where \(p\) and \(q\) represent the input and output arity of the objects (as if they were functions). The PRO has operations \(*: {\mathcal P}(p,q)\times {\mathcal P}(p^\prime,q^\prime)\to {\mathcal P}(p+p^\prime,q+q^\prime)\) and \(\circ: {\mathcal P}(q,r)\circ{\mathcal P}(p,q)\to {\mathcal P}(p,r)\) analogous to concatenation and composition. A stiff PRO is a free PRO modulo a congruence relation which preserves a natural combinatorial decomposition property. The authors give a natural construction of a combinatorial Hopf algebra from a stiff PRO. The construction generalizes the classical construction from an operad of \textit{P. van der Laan} [Operads. Hopf algebras and coloured Koszul duality. Utrecht: Universiteit Utrecht (PhD Thesis) (2004)]. This gives a construction of the deformed Faà di Bruno algebra of \textit{L. Foissy} [Adv. Math. 218, No. 1, 136--162 (2008; Zbl 1158.16020)]. Other natural examples include several tree-like structures; for example, a PRO and thus a combinatorial Hopf algebra can be constructed on heaps of pieces (objects of a fixed integer width which may be stacked at integer points) and friable pieces (analogous objects which break into 1-wide pieces and fall under gravity).