Related papers: The string coproduct "knows" Reidemeister/Whitehea…
We construct a higher Whitehead torsion map, using algebraic K-theory of spaces, and show that it satisfies the usual properties of the classical Whitehead torsion. This is used to describe a "geometric assembly map" defined on stabilized…
Given an $L^2$-acyclic connected finite $CW$-complex, we define its universal $L^2$-torsion in terms of the chain complex of its universal covering. It takes values in the weak Whitehead group $\operatorname{Wh}^w(G)$. We study its main…
Dualising the construction of a polyhedral product, we introduce the notion of a polyhedral coproduct as a certain homotopy limit over the face poset of a simplicial complex. We begin a study of the basic properties of polyhedral…
A virtual string is a scheme of self-intersections of a closed curve on a surface. We study algebraic invariants of strings as well as two equivalence relations on the set of strings: homotopy and cobordism. We show that the homotopy…
Barton Zwiebach constructed the `string products' on the Hilbert space of combined conformal field theory of matter and ghosts. It is well-known that the `tree level' specialization of these products forms a strongly homotopy Lie algebra. A…
Let $R$ be a ring spectrum and $ E\to X$ an $R$-module bundle of rank $n$. Our main result is to identify the homotopy type of the group-like monoid of homotopy automorphisms of this bundle, $hAut^R(E)$. This will generalize the result…
The string topology coproduct on the homology of the free loop space of a closed manifold induces a string cobracket on $S^1$-equivariant homology. We give a complete computation of the string topology coproduct for surfaces of higher genus…
This paper gives a short summary of the central role played by Ed Brown's "twisting cochains" in higher Franz-Reidemeister (FR) torsion and higher analytic torsion. Briefly, any fiber bundle gives a twisting cochain which is unique up to…
Every second flat Reidemeister move of knot projections can be decomposed into two types thorough an inverse or direct self-tangency modification, respectively called strong or weak, when orientations of the knot projections are arbitrarily…
We introduce a common domain of definition for the loop product and the loop coproduct, reduced loop homology, on which they combine to a unital infinitesimal anti-symmetric bialgebra structure. In particular, a relation conjectured by…
We analyze the decomposition of tensor products between infinite dimensional (unitary) and finite-dimensional (non-unitary) representations of SL(2,R). Using classical results on indefinite inner product spaces, we derive explicit…
We define and study binary operations for homotopy groups with coefficients. We give conditions to prove that certain binary operations are the homomorphic image of the generalized Whitehead product. This allows carrying over properties of…
Let $X$ be a simply connected closed oriented manifold of rationally elliptic homotopy type. We prove that the string topology bracket on the $S^1$-equivariant homology $\overline{H}_{\ast}^{S^1}(\mathcal{L}X,\mathbb{Q}) $ of the free loop…
We study ${\cal N}=2$ compactifications of heterotic string theory on the CHL orbifold $(K3\times T^2)/\mathbb{Z}_N$ with $N= 2, 3, 5, 7$. $\mathbb{Z}_N$ acts as an involution on $K3$ together with a shift of $1/N$ along one of the circles…
We show that any 3-dimensional homotopy lens space M^3 that is simple-homotopy equivalent to a lens space L(p,q) is topologically s-cobordant to the lens space. It follows that M has the same multi-signature as L(p,q) and the action of…
In this article we study homogeneous warped product Einstein metrics and its connections with homogeneous Ricci solitons. We show that homogeneous $(\lambda,n+m)$-Einstein manifolds (which are the bases of homogeneous warped product…
Let $M$ be any simply-connected Gorenstein space over any field. F\'elix and Thomas have extended to simply-connected Gorenstein spaces, the loop (co)products of Chas and Sullivan on the homology of the free loop space $H_*(LM)$. We…
This is a survey on Reidemeister torsion for hyperbolic three-manifolds of finite volume. Torsions are viewed as topological invariants and also as functions on the variety of representations in $\operatorname{ SL}_2(\mathbb C)$. In both…
We interpret the complexes defining rack cohomology in terms of a certain differential graded bialgebra. This yields elementary algebraic proofs of old and new structural results for this cohomology theory. For instance, we exhibit two…
This is the writeup of a lecture given at the May Wisconsin workshop on mathematical aspects of orbifold string theory. In the first part of this lecture, we review recent work on discrete torsion, and outline how it is currently understood…