We recall several categories of graphs which are useful for describing homotopy-coherent versions of generalised operads (e.g. cyclic operads, modular operads, properads, and so on), and give new, uniform definitions for their morphisms. This allows for straightforward comparisons, and we use this to show that certain free-forgetful adjunctions between categories of generalised operads can be realised at the level of presheaves. This includes adjunctions between operads and cyclic operads, between dioperads and augmented cyclic operads, and between wheeled properads and modular operads.

We study the $E_2$ -algebra $\Lambda \mathfrak {M}_{*,1}:= \coprod _{g\geqslant 0}\Lambda \mathfrak {M}_{g,1}$ consisting of free loop spaces of moduli spaces of Riemann surfaces with one parametrised boundary component, and compute the homotopy type of the group completion $\Omega B\Lambda \mathfrak {M}_{*,1}$ : it is the product of $\Omega ^{\infty }\mathbf {MTSO}(2)$ with a certain free $\Omega ^{\infty }$ -space depending on the family of all boundary-irreducible mapping classes in all mapping class groups $\Gamma _{g,n}$ with $g\geqslant 0$ and $n\geqslant 1$ .

We introduce a general definition for coloured cyclic operads over a symmetric monoidal ground category, which has several appealing features. The forgetful functor from coloured cyclic operads to coloured operads has both adjoints, each of which is relatively simple. Explicit formulae for these adjoints allow us to lift the Cisinski–Moerdijk model structure on the category of coloured operads enriched in simplicial sets to the category of coloured cyclic operads enriched in simplicial sets.

The commutative differential graded algebra $A_{\mathrm {PL}}(X)$ of polynomial forms on a simplicial set $X$ is a crucial tool in rational homotopy theory. In this note, we construct an integral version $A^{\mathcal {I}}(X)$ of $A_{\mathrm {PL}}(X)$. Our approach uses diagrams of chain complexes indexed by the category of finite sets and injections $\mathcal {I}$ to model $E_{\infty }$ differential graded algebras (dga) by strictly commutative objects, called commutative $\mathcal {I}$-dgas. We define a functor $A^{\mathcal {I}}$ from simplicial sets to commutative $\mathcal {I}$-dgas and show that it is a commutative lift of the usual cochain algebra functor. In particular, it gives rise to a new construction of the $E_{\infty }$ dga of cochains. The functor $A^{\mathcal {I}}$ shares many properties of $A_{\mathrm {PL}}$, and can be viewed as a generalization of $A_{\mathrm {PL}}$ that works over arbitrary commutative ground rings. Working over the integers, a theorem by Mandell implies that $A^{\mathcal {I}}(X)$ determines the homotopy type of $X$ when $X$ is a nilpotent space of finite type.

Let $X$ be a topological space. We consider certain generalized configuration spaces of points on $X$, obtained from the cartesian product $X^{n}$ by removing some intersections of diagonals. We give a systematic framework for studying the cohomology of such spaces using what we call ‘twisted commutative dg algebra models’ for the cochains on $X$. Suppose that $X$ is a ‘nice’ topological space, $R$ is any commutative ring, $H_{c}^{\bullet }(X,R)\rightarrow H^{\bullet }(X,R)$ is the zero map, and that $H_{c}^{\bullet }(X,R)$ is a projective $R$-module. We prove that the compact support cohomology of any generalized configuration space of points on $X$ depends only on the graded $R$-module $H_{c}^{\bullet }(X,R)$. This generalizes a theorem of Arabia.

This paper sets up the foundations for derived algebraic geometry, Goerss–Hopkins obstruction theory, and the construction of commutative ring spectra in the abstract setting of operadic algebras in symmetric spectra in an (essentially) arbitrary model category. We show that one can do derived algebraic geometry a la Toën–Vezzosi in an abstract category of spectra. We also answer in the affirmative a question of Goerss and Hopkins by showing that the obstruction theory for operadic algebras in spectra can be done in the generality of spectra in an (essentially) arbitrary model category. We construct strictly commutative simplicial ring spectra representing a given cohomology theory and illustrate this with a strictly commutative motivic ring spectrum representing higher order products on Deligne cohomology. These results are obtained by first establishing Smith’s stable positive model structure for abstract spectra and then showing that this category of spectra possesses excellent model-theoretic properties: we show that all colored symmetric operads in symmetric spectra valued in a symmetric monoidal model category are admissible, i.e., algebras over such operads carry a model structure. This generalizes the known model structures on commutative ring spectra and $\text{E}_{\infty }$-ring spectra in simplicial sets or motivic spaces. We also show that any weak equivalence of operads in spectra gives rise to a Quillen equivalence of their categories of algebras. For example, this extends the familiar strictification of $\text{E}_{\infty }$-rings to commutative rings in a broad class of spectra, including motivic spectra. We finally show that operadic algebras in Quillen equivalent categories of spectra are again Quillen equivalent. This paper is also available at arXiv:1410.5699v2.

We develop a theory of $R$-module Thom spectra for a commutative symmetric ring spectrum $R$ and we analyze their multiplicative properties. As an interesting source of examples, we show that $R$-algebra Thom spectra associated to the special unitary groups can be described in terms of quotient constructions on $R$. We apply the general theory to obtain a description of the $R$-based topological Hochschild homology associated to an $R$-algebra Thom spectrum.

Dendroidal sets have been introduced as a combinatorial model for homotopy coherent operads. We introduce the notion of fully Kan dendroidal sets and show that there is a model structure on the category of dendroidal sets with fibrant objects given by fully Kan dendroidal sets. Moreover we show that the resulting homotopy theory is equivalent to the homotopy theory of connective spectra.

Generalizing a conjecture of Deligne, Kontsevich proposed that there should be a notion of Hochschild cohomology of algebras over the little cube operad (or its chain complex) which in a natural way generalizes Hochschild cohomology of associative algebras. He moreover conjectured that the Hochschild cohomology, in this new sense, of an algebra over the little k-cube operad is an algebra over the little (k + 1)-cube operad. In this paper, we precisely state and prove this conjecture.