Equivalence of formalities of the little discs operad (Q649742)

The authors relate three results in deformation quantization: two proofs of the formality of the operad of chains of the little discs operad, due to Kontsevich and Tamarkin, and the construction, by Alekseev and Torossian, of a certain associator \(\Phi_{AT}\). For the formality arguements auxiliary operads are used. Kontsevich uses the operad \(Graphs\) and Tamarkin uses the operad \(t\) of Drinfeld-Kohno Lie algebras together with a Drinfeld associator. The main theorem in the article is the existence of an operad \(CG\) relating all three results. In more detail, the operad \(Graphs\) is seen to be the completed bar construction of \(CG\), the cohomology of \(CG\) is the operad \(t\), there exists a flat \(CG\)-connection showing that \(\Phi_{AT}\) is a Drinfled associator, and, using this Drinfled associator in the Tamarkin construction, the two formality morphisms are homotopic.