Homotopy unital \(A_\infty\)-algebras (Q549997)

It is well-known that the differential graded operad of \(A_{\infty}\)-algebras is a cofibrant replacement for the operad of non-unital associative differential graded algebras. The notion of a strictly unital \(A_{\infty}\)-algebras is natural to define but occurs only in \textbf{dg}-categories. Non-strict units can be defined in a variety of ways, all of them equivalent. This paper gives a construction of a cofibrant replacement for the operad of unital associative differential graded algebras. This is constructed explicitly. The authors shows that algebras for this newly constructed operad are exactly homotopy unital algebras in the sense of \textit{K. Fukaya} [Adv. Stud. Pure Math. 34, 31--127 (2002; Zbl 1030.53087)]. The author also considers morphisms of \(A_{\infty}\)-algebras, both unital and not. He shows that operad bimodules of \(A_{\infty}\)-morphisms are a cofibrant replacement for the operad bimodule of morphisms of non-unital \textbf{dg}-algebras, and that the same result holds in the unital case with the newly constructed operad.