Locally constant \(n\)-operads as higher braided operads (Q961996)

Braided operads are well-known generalizations of the standard symmetric operads defined by considering collections \(A = \{A_n\}_{n\in\mathbb N}\) equipped with an action of the braid groups \(B_n\) instead of the symmetric groups \(S_n\). This notion was introduced by \textit{Z. Fiedorowicz} [``The symmetric bar construction'', preprint (1998)] for the purpose of obtaining a simple characterization of \(E_2\)-operads -- operads weakly-equivalent to Boardman-Vogt's little \(2\)-cubes operad. Fiedorowicz essentially observed that the quotient spaces \(A_n/P_n\), formed by dividing a contractible braided operad \(A\) by the action of pure braid groups \(P_n\), define an \(E_2\)-operad. The purpose of the article under review is to propose a generalization of Fiedorowicz's category of braided operads for higher-dimensional analogues of little \(n\)-cubes operads. The approach of the author relies on the notion of \(n\)-operad which he introduced in a previous work [\textit{M. A. Batanin}, ``The Eckmann-Hilton argument and higher operads'', Adv. Math. 217, No.~1, 334--385 (2008; Zbl 1138.18003)] as higher categorical versions of operads. Recall briefly that an \(n\)-operad consists of a collection \(A = \{A_T\}_{T\in\Omega_n}\), defining a functor on a category of trees with \(n\)-levels \(\Omega_n\), together with operadic multiplications shaped on structures associated to this category \(\Omega_n\). The author considers a subcategory \(Q_n\subset\Omega_n\) formed by morphisms \(f: S\rightarrow T\), called quasibijections, that fix the number of leaves associated to a tree (in the formalism of~``The Eckmann-Hilton argument and higher operads'' -- this condition is expressed in an equivalent formalism of \(n\)-ordinals in the paper under review). The author says that an \(n\)-operad \(A\) is quasi-symmetric, respectively locally constant, if its underlying functor \(A: T\mapsto A_T\) maps quasi-bijections \(f: S\rightarrow T\) to isomorphisms, respectively weak-equivalences. The author proves as a first main result that the category of quasi-symmetric \(2\)-operads is equivalent to the category of braided operads. But he observes that the category of quasi-symmetric \(n\)-operads reduces to the category of symmetric operads when \(n>2\). He suggests that the notion of locally constant \(n\)-operad would give a suitable higher analogue of the notion of braided operad. In support of this thesis, he gives a generalization of Fiedorowicz's recognition principle asserting that algebras over a contractible locally constant \(n\)-operads are weakly-equivalent to \(n\)-fold loop spaces (up to group completion).