\section{}

\nn{

background: TQFTs are important, historically, semisimple categories well-understood.

Many new examples arising recently which do not fit this framework, e.g. SW and OS theory.

These have more complicated gluing formulas (\cite{1003.0598,1005.1248}, etc); 

it would be nice to give generalized TQFT axioms that encompass these.

Triangulated categories are important; often calculations are via exact sequences,

and the standard TQFT constructions are quotients, which destroy exactness.

A first attempt to deal with this might be to replace all the tensor products in gluing formulas

with derived tensor products (cite Kh?).

However, in this approach it's probably difficult to prove invariance of constructions,

because they depend on explicit presentations of the manifold.

We'll give a manifestly invariant construction,

and deduce gluing formulas based on derived (actually, $A_\infty$) tensor products.}

\section{Definitions}

\subsection{$n$-categories}

\nn{

Axioms for $n$-categories, examples (maps, string diagrams)

}

\nn{

Decide if we need a friendlier, skein-module version.

}

\subsection{The blob complex}

\subsubsection{Decompositions of manifolds}

\nn{Mention that the axioms for $n$-categories can be stated in terms of decompositions of balls}

\subsubsection{Homotopy colimits}

\nn{How can we extend an $n$-category from balls to arbitrary manifolds?}

\nn{In practice, this gives the old definition}

\subsubsection{}

\section{Properties of the blob complex}

\subsection{Formal properties}

\label{sec:properties}

The blob complex enjoys the following list of formal properties.

\begin{property}[Functoriality]

\label{property:functoriality}%

The blob complex is functorial with respect to homeomorphisms.

That is, 

for a fixed $n$-dimensional system of fields $\cF$, the association

\begin{equation*}

X \mapsto \bc_*(X; \cF)

\end{equation*}

is a functor from $n$-manifolds and homeomorphisms between them to chain 

complexes and isomorphisms between them.

\end{property}

As a consequence, there is an action of $\Homeo(X)$ on the chain complex $\bc_*(X; \cF)$; 

this action is extended to all of $C_*(\Homeo(X))$ in Theorem \ref{thm:CH} below.

\begin{property}[Disjoint union]

\label{property:disjoint-union}

The blob complex of a disjoint union is naturally isomorphic to the tensor product of the blob complexes.

\begin{equation*}

\bc_*(X_1 \du X_2) \iso \bc_*(X_1) \tensor \bc_*(X_2)

\end{equation*}

\end{property}

If an $n$-manifold $X$ contains $Y \sqcup Y^\text{op}$ as a codimension $0$ submanifold of its boundary, 

write $X_\text{gl} = X \bigcup_{Y}\selfarrow$ for the manifold obtained by gluing together $Y$ and $Y^\text{op}$.

Note that this includes the case of gluing two disjoint manifolds together.

\begin{property}[Gluing map]

\label{property:gluing-map}%

%If $X_1$ and $X_2$ are $n$-manifolds, with $Y$ a codimension $0$-submanifold of $\bdy X_1$, and $Y^{\text{op}}$ a codimension $0$-submanifold of $\bdy X_2$, there is a chain map

%\begin{equation*}

%\gl_Y: \bc_*(X_1) \tensor \bc_*(X_2) \to \bc_*(X_1 \cup_Y X_2).

%\end{equation*}

Given a gluing $X \to X_\mathrm{gl}$, there is

a natural map

\[

	\bc_*(X) \to \bc_*(X_\mathrm{gl}) 

\]

(natural with respect to homeomorphisms, and also associative with respect to iterated gluings).

\end{property}

\begin{property}[Contractibility]

\label{property:contractibility}%

With field coefficients, the blob complex on an $n$-ball is contractible in the sense 

that it is homotopic to its $0$-th homology.

Moreover, the $0$-th homology of balls can be canonically identified with the vector spaces 

associated by the system of fields $\cF$ to balls.

\begin{equation*}

\xymatrix{\bc_*(B^n;\cF) \ar[r]^(0.4){\iso}_(0.4){\text{qi}} & H_0(\bc_*(B^n;\cF)) \ar[r]^(0.6)\iso & A_\cF(B^n)}

\end{equation*}

\end{property}

\nn{Properties \ref{property:functoriality} will be immediate from the definition given in

\S \ref{sec:blob-definition}, and we'll recall it at the appropriate point there.

Properties \ref{property:disjoint-union}, \ref{property:gluing-map} and 

\ref{property:contractibility} are established in \S \ref{sec:basic-properties}.}

\subsection{Specializations}

\label{sec:specializations}

The blob complex is a simultaneous generalization of the TQFT skein module construction and of Hochschild homology.

\begin{thm}[Skein modules]

\label{thm:skein-modules}

The $0$-th blob homology of $X$ is the usual 

(dual) TQFT Hilbert space (a.k.a.\ skein module) associated to $X$

by $\cF$.

\begin{equation*}

H_0(\bc_*(X;\cF)) \iso A_{\cF}(X)

\end{equation*}

\end{thm}

\begin{thm}[Hochschild homology when $X=S^1$]

\label{thm:hochschild}

The blob complex for a $1$-category $\cC$ on the circle is

quasi-isomorphic to the Hochschild complex.

\begin{equation*}

\xymatrix{\bc_*(S^1;\cC) \ar[r]^(0.47){\iso}_(0.47){\text{qi}} & \HC_*(\cC).}

\end{equation*}

\end{thm}

Proposition \ref{thm:skein-modules} is immediate from the definition, and

Theorem \ref{thm:hochschild} is established by extending the statement to bimodules as well as categories, then verifying that the universal properties of Hochschild homology also hold for $\bc_*(S^1; -)$.

\subsection{Structure of the blob complex}

\label{sec:structure}

In the following $\CH{X} = C_*(\Homeo(X))$ is the singular chain complex of the space of homeomorphisms of $X$, fixed on $\bdy X$.

\begin{thm}[$C_*(\Homeo(-))$ action]

\label{thm:CH}\label{thm:evaluation}

There is a chain map

\begin{equation*}

e_X: \CH{X} \tensor \bc_*(X) \to \bc_*(X).

\end{equation*}

such that

\begin{enumerate}

\item Restricted to $CH_0(X)$ this is the action of homeomorphisms described in Property \ref{property:functoriality}. 

\item For

any codimension $0$-submanifold $Y \sqcup Y^\text{op} \subset \bdy X$ the following diagram

(using the gluing maps described in Property \ref{property:gluing-map}) commutes (up to homotopy).

\begin{equation*}

\xymatrix@C+0.3cm{

     \CH{X} \otimes \bc_*(X)

        \ar[r]_{e_{X}}  \ar[d]^{\gl^{\Homeo}_Y \otimes \gl_Y}  &

            \bc_*(X) \ar[d]_{\gl_Y} \\

     \CH{X \bigcup_Y \selfarrow} \otimes \bc_*(X \bigcup_Y \selfarrow) \ar[r]_<<<<<<<{e_{(X \bigcup_Y \scalebox{0.5}{\selfarrow})}}    & \bc_*(X \bigcup_Y \selfarrow)

}

\end{equation*}

\end{enumerate}

Futher, this map is associative, in the sense that the following diagram commutes (up to homotopy).

\begin{equation*}

\xymatrix{

\CH{X} \tensor \CH{X} \tensor \bc_*(X) \ar[r]^<<<<<{\id \tensor e_X} \ar[d]^{\compose \tensor \id} & \CH{X} \tensor \bc_*(X) \ar[d]^{e_X} \\

\CH{X} \tensor \bc_*(X) \ar[r]^{e_X} & \bc_*(X)

}

\end{equation*}

\end{thm}

Since the blob complex is functorial in the manifold $X$, this is equivalent to having chain maps

$$ev_{X \to Y} : \CH{X \to Y} \tensor \bc_*(X) \to \bc_*(Y)$$

for any homeomorphic pair $X$ and $Y$, 

satisfying corresponding conditions.

\begin{thm}[Blob complexes of products with balls form an $A_\infty$ $n$-category]

\label{thm:blobs-ainfty}

Let $\cC$ be  a topological $n$-category.

Let $Y$ be an $n{-}k$-manifold. 

There is an $A_\infty$ $k$-category $\bc_*(Y;\cC)$, defined on each $m$-ball $D$, for $0 \leq m < k$, 

to be the set $$\bc_*(Y;\cC)(D) = \cC(Y \times D)$$ and on $k$-balls $D$ to be the set 

$$\bc_*(Y;\cC)(D) = \bc_*(Y \times D; \cC).$$ 

(When $m=k$ the subsets with fixed boundary conditions form a chain complex.) 

These sets have the structure of an $A_\infty$ $k$-category, with compositions coming from the gluing map in 

Property \ref{property:gluing-map} and with the action of families of homeomorphisms given in Theorem \ref{thm:evaluation}.

\end{thm}

\begin{rem}

Perhaps the most interesting case is when $Y$ is just a point; then we have a way of building an $A_\infty$ $n$-category from a topological $n$-category.

We think of this $A_\infty$ $n$-category as a free resolution.

\end{rem}

This result is described in more detail as Example 6.2.8 of \cite{1009.5025}

The definition is in fact simpler, almost tautological, and we use a different notation, $\cl{\cC}(M)$. The next theorem describes the blob complex for product manifolds, in terms of the $A_\infty$ blob complex of the $A_\infty$ $n$-categories constructed as in the previous example.

%The notation is intended to reflect the close parallel with the definition of the TQFT skein module via a colimit.

\newtheorem*{thm:product}{Theorem \ref{thm:product}}

\begin{thm}[Product formula]

\label{thm:product}

Let $W$ be a $k$-manifold and $Y$ be an $n-k$ manifold.

Let $\cC$ be an $n$-category.

Let $\bc_*(Y;\cC)$ be the $A_\infty$ $k$-category associated to $Y$ via blob homology (see Example \ref{ex:blob-complexes-of-balls}).

Then

\[

	\bc_*(Y\times W; \cC) \simeq \cl{\bc_*(Y;\cC)}(W).

\]

\end{thm}

The statement can be generalized to arbitrary fibre bundles, and indeed to arbitrary maps

(see \cite[\S7.1]{1009.5025}).

Fix a topological $n$-category $\cC$, which we'll omit from the notation.

Recall that for any $(n-1)$-manifold $Y$, the blob complex $\bc_*(Y)$ is naturally an $A_\infty$ category.

\begin{thm}[Gluing formula]

\label{thm:gluing}

\mbox{}% <-- gets the indenting right

\begin{itemize}

\item For any $n$-manifold $X$, with $Y$ a codimension $0$-submanifold of its boundary, the blob complex of $X$ is naturally an

$A_\infty$ module for $\bc_*(Y)$.

\item For any $n$-manifold $X_\text{gl} = X\bigcup_Y \selfarrow$, the blob complex $\bc_*(X_\text{gl})$ is the $A_\infty$ self-tensor product of

$\bc_*(X)$ as an $\bc_*(Y)$-bimodule:

\begin{equation*}

\bc_*(X_\text{gl}) \simeq \bc_*(X) \Tensor^{A_\infty}_{\mathclap{\bc_*(Y)}} \selfarrow

\end{equation*}

\end{itemize}

\end{thm}

\nn{Theorem \ref{thm:product} is proved in \S \ref{ss:product-formula}, and Theorem \ref{thm:gluing} in \S \ref{sec:gluing}.}

\section{Applications}

\label{sec:applications}

Finally, we give two applications of the above machinery.

\begin{thm}[Mapping spaces]

\label{thm:map-recon}

Let $\pi^\infty_{\le n}(T)$ denote the $A_\infty$ $n$-category based on maps 

$B^n \to T$.

(The case $n=1$ is the usual $A_\infty$-category of paths in $T$.)

Then 

$$\bc_*(X; \pi^\infty_{\le n}(T)) \simeq \CM{X}{T}.$$

\end{thm}

This says that we can recover (up to homotopy) the space of maps to $T$ via blob homology from local data. 

Note that there is no restriction on the connectivity of $T$ as in \cite[Theorem 3.8.6]{0911.0018}.

\nn{The proof appears in \S \ref{sec:map-recon}.}

\begin{thm}[Higher dimensional Deligne conjecture]

\label{thm:deligne}

The singular chains of the $n$-dimensional surgery cylinder operad act on blob cochains.

Since the little $n{+}1$-balls operad is a suboperad of the $n$-dimensional surgery cylinder operad,

this implies that the little $n{+}1$-balls operad acts on blob cochains of the $n$-ball.

\end{thm}

\nn{See \S \ref{sec:deligne} for a full explanation of the statement, and the proof.}

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