Loop coproducts in string topology and triviality of higher genus TQFT operations (Q847146)

Let \(M\) be a connected closed orientable smooth manifold of dimension \(d\) and let \(LM:= \text{Map}(S^1,M)\) be its free loop space of continuous maps from the circle \(S^1\) to \(M\). The string theory of Chas-Sullivan describes a rich structure in the homology of \(LM\). In particular, R. Cohen and V. Godin have described a higher string operation \(\mu_\Sigma: H_*((LM)^{\times p})\to H_{*+\chi(\Sigma)d} ((LM)^{\times q})\), for each orientable connected surface \(\Sigma\) of genus \(g\) with \(p\geq 0\) incoming and \(q\geq 1\) outgoing parametrized boundary circles \((\chi(\Sigma):= 2- 2g- p- q)\). The operation \(\mu_\Sigma\) depends only on the topological type of \(\Sigma\) and is compatible with sewing of surfaces along parametrized boundary circles. Since any surface \(\Sigma\) can be decomposed into pairs of pants and capping discs, a higher string operation \(\mu_\Sigma\) appears as a composition of the loop product \(\mu: H_*((LM)^{\times 2})\to H_{*-d}((LM))\) and the loop coproduct \(\psi: H_*((LM))\to H_{*-d}((LM)^{\times 2})\). In this paper the author studies the coproduct \(\psi\) in detail (Theorem B), and as a consequence proves that if \(g\geq 1\) or \(q\geq 3\) then the associated operation \(\mu_\Sigma\) vanishes. Another consequence of Theorem B concerns the transfer map \(i_!: H_{*+d}(LM)\to H_*(\Omega(M))\) associated to the natural inclusion \(i:\Omega M\to LM\) (Theorem C).