Perturbed Gradient Flow Trees and A∞-algebra Structures in Morse Cohomology

• Main Author: Mescher, Stephan (Author, http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/aut)
• Corporate Author: SpringerLink (Online service)
• Format: Electronic eBook
• Language: English
• Published: Cham : Springer International Publishing : Imprint: Springer, 2018.
• Edition: 1st ed. 2018.
• Series: Atlantis Studies in Dynamical Systems ; 6
• Subjects: Global analysis (Mathematics).; Manifolds (Mathematics).; Dynamics.; Ergodic theory.; Complex manifolds.; Global Analysis and Analysis on Manifolds.; Dynamical Systems and Ergodic Theory.; Manifolds and Cell Complexes (incl. Diff.Topology).

 This book elaborates on an idea put forward by M. Abouzaid on equipping the Morse cochain complex of a smooth Morse function on a closed oriented manifold with the structure of an A∞-algebra by means of perturbed gradient flow trajectories. This approach is a variation on K. Fukaya's definition of Morse-A∞-categories for closed oriented manifolds involving families of Morse functions. To make A∞-structures in Morse theory accessible to a broader audience, this book provides a coherent and detailed treatment of Abouzaid's approach, including a discussion of all relevant analytic notions and results, requiring only a basic grasp of Morse theory. In particular, no advanced algebra skills are required, and the perturbation theory for Morse trajectories is completely self-contained. In addition to its relevance for finite-dimensional Morse homology, this book may be used as a preparation for the study of Fukaya categories in symplectic geometry. It will be of interest to researchers in mathematics (geometry and topology), and to graduate students in mathematics with a basic command of the Morse theory. 

 1. Basics on Morse homology -- 2. Perturbations of gradient flow trajectories -- 3. Nonlocal generalizations -- 4. Moduli spaces of perturbed Morse ribbon trees -- 5. The convergence behaviour of sequences of perturbed Morse ribbon trees -- 6. Higher order multiplications and the A∞-relations -- 7. A∞-bimodule structures on Morse chain complexes -- A. Orientations and sign computations for perturbed Morse ribbon trees.