Derived complete intersections and polynomial growth of Betti numbers over dg-algebras

A theorem of Gulliksen states that a local ring is a complete intersection if and only if the Betti numbers of its finitely generated modules grow polynomially. We prove a derived version of Gulliksen's Theorem. More precisely, we prove a structure theorem for dg-algebras whose modules exhibit polynomial Betti growth. As a key ingredient in the proof, we establish the existence and uniqueness of minimal models and acyclic closures of morphisms of dg-algebras in a broader setting than was previously known. We also extend to dg-algebras a theorem of Halperin on the vanishing of deviations of local rings, recovering Gulliksen's Theorem as an immediate consequence.