In mathematics, an operad is a structure that consists of abstract operations, each one having a fixed finite number of inputs (arguments) and one output, as well as a specification of how to compose these operations. Given an operad
O
O
O
L
L
L
Operads originate in algebraic topology; they were introduced to characterize iterated loop spaces by J. Michael Boardman and Rainer M. Vogt in 1968[1] [2] and by J. Peter May in 1972.[3]
Martin Markl, Steve Shnider, and Jim Stasheff write in their book on operads:[4]
"The name operad and the formal definition appear first in the early 1970's in J. Peter May's "The Geometry of Iterated Loop Spaces", but a year or more earlier, Boardman and Vogt described the same concept under the name categories of operators in standard form, inspired by PROPs and PACTs of Adams and Mac Lane. In fact, there is an abundance of prehistory. Weibel [Wei] points out that the concept first arose a century ago in A.N. Whitehead's "A Treatise on Universal Algebra", published in 1898."
The word "operad" was created by May as a portmanteau of "operations" and "monad" (and also because his mother was an opera singer).[5]
Interest in operads was considerably renewed in the early 90s when, based on early insights of Maxim Kontsevich, Victor Ginzburg and Mikhail Kapranov discovered that some duality phenomena in rational homotopy theory could be explained using Koszul duality of operads.[6] [7] Operads have since found many applications, such as in deformation quantization of Poisson manifolds, the Deligne conjecture,[8] or graph homology in the work of Maxim Kontsevich and Thomas Willwacher.
Suppose
X
n\in\N
P(n):=\{f:Xn\toX\}
the set of all functions from the cartesian product of
n
X
X
We can compose these functions: given
f\inP(n)
f1\inP(k1),\ldots,fn\inP(kn)
f\circ(f1,\ldots,fn)\inP(k1+ … +kn)
is defined as follows: given
k1+ … +kn
X
n
k1
k2
f1
f2
f
n
X
*
Sn
P(n)
(f*s)(x1,\ldots,xn)=
f(x | |
s-1(1) |
,\ldots,x | |
s-1(n) |
)
for
f\inP(n)
s\inSn
x1,\ldots,xn\inX
The definition of a symmetric operad given below captures the essential properties of these two operations
\circ
*
A non-symmetric operad (sometimes called an operad without permutations, or a non-
\Sigma
(P(n))n\inN
n
1
P(1)
n
\begin{align} \circ:P(n) x P(k1) x … x P(kn)&\toP(k1+ … +kn)\\ (\theta,\theta1,\ldots,\thetan)&\mapsto\theta\circ(\theta1,\ldots,\thetan), \end{align}
\theta\circ(1,\ldots,1)=\theta=1\circ\theta
\begin{align} &\theta\circ(\theta1\circ(\theta1,1,\ldots,
\theta | |
1,k1 |
),\ldots,\thetan\circ(\thetan,1,
\ldots,\theta | |
n,kn |
))\\ ={}&(\theta\circ(\theta1,\ldots,\thetan))\circ(\theta1,1,\ldots,
\theta | |
1,k1 |
,\ldots,\thetan,1,\ldots,
\theta | |
n,kn |
) \end{align}
A symmetric operad (often just called operad) is a non-symmetric operad
P
Sn
P(n)
n\in\N
*
t\inSn
(\theta*t)\circ(\theta1,\ldots,\thetan)=(\theta\circ(\thetat(1),\ldots,\thetat(n)))*t'
(where
t'
S | |
k1+...+kn |
\{1,2,...,k1+...+kn\}
n
k1
k2
n
kn
n
t
and given
n
si\in
S | |
ki |
\theta\circ(\theta1*s1,\ldots,\thetan*sn)=(\theta\circ(\theta1,\ldots,\thetan))*(s1,\ldots,sn)
(where
(s1,\ldots,sn)
S | |
k1+...+kn |
s1
s2
The permutation actions in this definition are vital to most applications, including the original application to loop spaces.
A morphism of operads
f:P\toQ
(fn:P(n)\toQ(n))n\inN
f(1)=1
\theta
\theta1,\ldots,\thetan
f(\theta\circ(\theta1,\ldots,\thetan)) =f(\theta)\circ(f(\theta1),\ldots,f(\thetan))
f(x*s)=f(x)*s
Operads therefore form a category denoted by
Oper
So far operads have only been considered in the category of sets. More generally, it is possible to define operads in any symmetric monoidal category C . In that case, each
P(n)
\circ
P(n) ⊗ P(k1) ⊗ … ⊗ P(kn)\toP(k1+ … +kn)
⊗
A common example is the category of topological spaces and continuous maps, with the monoidal product given by the cartesian product. In this case, a topological operad is given by a sequence of spaces (instead of sets)
\{P(n)\}n
Other common settings to define operads include, for example, modules over a commutative ring, chain complexes, groupoids (or even the category of categories itself), coalgebras, etc.
Given a commutative ring R we consider the category
R-Mod
(T,\gamma,η)
R-Mod
For example, a monoid object in the category of "polynomial endofunctors" on
R-Mod
S
S
An operad in the above sense is sometimes thought of as a generalized ring. For example, Nikolai Durov defines his generalized rings as monoid objects in the monoidal category of endofunctors on
bf{Set}
\SigmaR:bf{Set}\tobf{Set}
R(X)
"Associativity" means that composition of operations is associative(the function
\circ
f\circ(g\circh)=(f\circg)\circh
Associativity in operad theory means that expressions can be written involving operations without ambiguity from the omitted compositions, just as associativity for operations allows products to be written without ambiguity from the omitted parentheses.
For instance, if
\theta
\theta(a,b)
(ab)
\theta
Then what is commonly written
((ab)c)
\theta\circ(\theta,1)
(a,b,c)
(ab,c)
\theta
\theta
ab
c
which yields a 3-ary operation:
However, the expression
(((ab)c)d)
\theta\circ((\theta,1)\circ((\theta,1),1))
(\theta\circ(\theta,1))\circ((\theta,1),1)
x=\theta,y=(\theta,1),z=((\theta,1),1)
x\circ(y\circz)
(x\circy)\circz
If the top two rows of operations are composed first (puts an upward parenthesis at the
(ab)c d
which then evaluates unambiguously to yield a 4-ary operation.As an annotated expression:
\theta(ab)c ⋅ \circ((\thetaab,1d)\circ((\thetaa ⋅ ,1c),1d))
If the bottom two rows of operations are composed first (puts a downward parenthesis at the
ab c d
which then evaluates unambiguously to yield a 4-ary operation:
The operad axiom of associativity is that these yield the same result, and thus that the expression
(((ab)c)d)
The identity axiom (for a binary operation) can be visualized in a tree as:
meaning that the three operations obtained are equal: pre- or post- composing with the identity makes no difference. As for categories,
1\circ1=1
The most basic operads are the ones given in the section on "Intuition", above. For any set
X
l{End}X
Xn\toX
l{O}
l{O}
X
l{O}\tol{End}X
l{O}(n)
n
X
l{O}
X
X
l{O}
If k is a field, we can consider the category of finite-dimensional vector spaces over k; this becomes a monoidal category using the ordinary tensor product over k. We can then define endomorphism operads in this category, as follows. Let V be a finite-dimensional vector space The endomorphism operad
l{End}V=\{l{End}V(n)\}
l{End}V(n)
V ⊗ \toV
f\inl{End}V(n)
g1\inl{End}V(k1)
gn\inl{End}V(kn)
⊗ k1 | |
V |
⊗ … ⊗
⊗ kn | |
V |
\overset{g1 ⊗ … ⊗ gn}\longrightarrow V ⊗ \overset{f}\to V
l{End}V(1)
\operatorname{id}V
Sn
l{End}V(n)
V ⊗
If
l{O}
l{O}
l{O}\tol{End}V
l{O}
R\to\operatorname{End}(M)
Depending on applications, variations of the above are possible: for example, in algebraic topology, instead of vector spaces and tensor products between them, one uses (reasonable) topological spaces and cartesian products between them.
The little 2-disks operad is a topological operad where
P(n)
\R2
\theta\inP(3)
(\theta1,\theta2,\theta3)\inP(2) x P(3) x P(4)
\theta\circ(\theta1,\theta2,\theta3)\inP(9)
\thetai
\theta
i=1,2,3
Analogously, one can define the little n-disks operad by considering configurations of disjoint n-balls inside the unit ball of
\Rn
Originally the little n-cubes operad or the little intervals operad (initially called little n-cubes PROPs) was defined by Michael Boardman and Rainer Vogt in a similar way, in terms of configurations of disjoint axis-aligned n-dimensional hypercubes (n-dimensional intervals) inside the unit hypercube.[14] Later it was generalized by May[15] to the little convex bodies operad, and "little disks" is a case of "folklore" derived from the "little convex bodies".[16]
In graph theory, rooted trees form a natural operad. Here,
P(n)
Sn
T\circ(S1,\ldots,Sn)
T
Si
i=1,\ldots,n
T
T
The Swiss-cheese operad is a two-colored topological operad defined in terms of configurations of disjoint n-dimensional disks inside a unit n-semidisk and n-dimensional semidisks, centered at the base of the unit semidisk and sitting inside of it. The operadic composition comes from gluing configurations of "little" disks inside the unit disk into the "little" disks in another unit semidisk and configurations of "little" disks and semidisks inside the unit semidisk into the other unit semidisk.
The Swiss-cheese operad was defined by Alexander A. Voronov.[17] It was used by Maxim Kontsevich to formulate a Swiss-cheese version of Deligne's conjecture on Hochschild cohomology.[18] Kontsevich's conjecture was proven partly by Po Hu, Igor Kriz, and Alexander A. Voronov[19] and then fully by Justin Thomas.[20]
Another class of examples of operads are those capturing the structures of algebraic structures, such as associative algebras, commutative algebras and Lie algebras. Each of these can be exhibited as a finitely presented operad, in each of these three generated by binary operations.
For example, the associative operad is a symmetric operad generated by a binary operation
\psi
\psi\circ(\psi,1)=\psi\circ(1,\psi).
This condition corresponds to associativity of the binary operation
\psi
\psi(a,b)
(ab)c=a(bc)
In the associative operad, each
P(n)
Sn
Sn
\sigma\circ(\tau1,...,\taun)
\sigma
\taui
The algebras over the associative operad are precisely the semigroups: sets together with a single binary associative operation. The k-linear algebras over the associative operad are precisely the associative k-algebras.
The terminal symmetric operad is the operad which has a single n-ary operation for each n, with each
Sn
Similarly, there is a non-
\Sigma
P(n)
Bn
\Sigma
In linear algebra, real vector spaces can be considered to be algebras over the operad
\Rinfty
\Rinfty(n)=\Rn
n\in\N
Sn
\vec{x}\circ(\vec{y1},\ldots,\vec{yn})
x(1)
(n) | |
\vec{y | |
1},\ldots,x |
\vec{yn}
\vec{x}=(x(1),\ldots,x(n))\in\Rn
\vec{x}=(2,3,-5,0,...)
This point of view formalizes the notion that linear combinations are the most general sort of operation on a vector space – saying that a vector space is an algebra over the operad of linear combinations is precisely the statement that all possible algebraic operations in a vector space are linear combinations. The basic operations of vector addition and scalar multiplication are a generating set for the operad of all linear combinations, while the linear combinations operad canonically encodes all possible operations on a vector space.
Similarly, affine combinations, conical combinations, and convex combinations can be considered to correspond to the sub-operads where the terms of the vector
\vec{x}
\Rn
The commutative-ring operad is an operad whose algebras are the commutative rings. It is defined by
P(n)=\Z[x1,\ldots,xn]
Sn
Typical algebraic constructions (e.g., free algebra construction) can be extended to operads. Let
Sn | |
Set |
Sn
Oper\to\prodn\in\N
Sn | |
Set |
\Gamma:\prodn\in\N
Sn | |
Set |
\toOper
\Gamma(E)
Like a group or a ring, the free construction allows to express an operad in terms of generators and relations. By a free representation of an operad
l{O}
l{O}
l{F}=\Gamma(E)
l{O}
l{F}\tol{O}
A (symmetric) operad
l{O}=\{l{O}(n)\}
E=l{O}(2)
\Gamma(E)(3)
Clones are the special case of operads that are also closed under identifying arguments together ("reusing" some data). Clones can be equivalently defined as operads that are also a minion (or clonoid).
In, Stasheff writes:
Operads are particularly important and useful in categories with a good notion of "homotopy", where they play a key role in organizing hierarchies of higher homotopies.
T(V)=
infty | |
oplus | |
n=1 |
Tn ⊗ V ⊗
\gamma(V):Tn ⊗
T | |
i1 |
⊗ … ⊗
T | |
in |
\to
T | |
i1+...+in |