Homotopy Batalin-Vilkovisky algebras (Q446424)

The main purpose of this article is to give an explicit description of a small quasi-free resolution, the Koszul resolution, of the operad of Batalin-Vilkovisky algebras. Recall that a Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra is a graded commutative algebra \(A\) equipped with a unary operator \(\Delta: A\rightarrow A\), homogeneous of degree \(1\), satisfying \(\Delta^2 = 0\), and so that the operation \[ \lambda(x_1,x_2) = \Delta(x_1 x_2) - (\Delta(x_1) x_2 + x_1\Delta(x_2))\leqno{(*)} \] satisfies the relations of an odd Poisson bracket (a Gerstenhaber bracket) on \(A\). The operad of Batalin-Vilkovisky algebras \(\mathcal{BV}\) is defined by generators and relations, with a two-ary generating operation \(\mu\in\mathcal{BV}(2)\) representing the product underlying a Batalin-Vilkovisky structure, a second two-ary generating operation \(\lambda\in\mathcal{BV}(2)\) representing the Gerstenhaber bracket, and a unary generating operation \(\Delta\in\mathcal{BV}(1)\) which represents the Batalin-Vilkovisky operator. The Koszul resolution of an operad, in the sense of \textit{V. Ginzburg} and \textit{M. Kapranov} [Duke Math. J. 76, No. 1, 203--272 (1994; Zbl 0855.18006)], is a quasi-free operad \(\mathcal P_{\infty} = (\mathcal F(s^{-1}\mathcal P^{\text{<}}),d_2)\) whose differential \(d_2\) is quadratic on generators \(\mathcal P^{\text{<}}\). The definition of the operad \(\mathcal{BV}\) involves a relation (*) which is not homogeneous quadratic with respect to the composition of generating operations, since this equation involves the Gerstenhaber bracket as a linear term. The existence of this inhomogeneous relation gives an obstruction for the construction of a Koszul resolution in the above sense. The authors therefore consider a graded operad \(q\mathcal{BV}\), with the same generating operations as in the operad \(\mathcal{BV}\), but where this linear term in (*) is canceled. The crux of their construction relies on the observation that this operad \(q\mathcal{BV}\) is Koszul, and that a linear term can be added to the differential of the Koszul resolution of this graded operad to get a quasi-free operad \(\mathcal{BV}_{\infty} = (\mathcal F(s^{-1}q\mathcal{BV}^{\text{<}}),d_1+d_2)\) defining a resolution of the operad~\(\mathcal{BV}\). The authors considers the category of algebras associated to the operad \(\mathcal{BV}_{\infty}\) to get an explicit definition of the notion of a homotopy \(\mathcal{BV}\)-algebra. The authors notably use this effective approach to prove that any non-negatively graded topological vertex operator algebra in the sense of \textit{B. H. Lian} and \textit{G. J. Zuckerman} [Commun. Math. Phys 154, 613--646 (1993; Zbl 0780.17029)] inherits a homotopy \(\mathcal{BV}\)-algebra structure.