Knots, operads and double loop spaces

We show that the space of long knots in an euclidean space of dimension larger than three is a double loop space, proving a conjecture by Sinha. We construct also a double loop space structure on framed long knots, and show that the map forgetting the framing is not a double loop map in odd dimension. However there is always such a map in the reverse direction expressing the double loop space of framed long knots as a semidirect product. A similar compatible decomposition holds for the homotopy fiber of the inclusion of long knots into immersions. We show also via string topology that the space of closed knots in a sphere, suitably desuspended, admits an action of the little 2-discs operad in the category of spectra. A fundamental tool is the McClure-Smith cosimplicial machinery, that produces double loop spaces out of topological operads with multiplication.Comment: 16 page

Configuration spaces on the sphere and higher loop spaces

We show that the homology over a field of the space of free maps from the n-sphere to the n-fold suspension of X depends only on the cohomology algebra of X and compute it explicitly. We compute also the homology of the closely related labelled configuration space on the n-sphere with labels in X and of its completion, that depends only on the homology of X. In many but not all cases the homology of the configuration space coincides with the homology of the mapping space. In particular we obtain the homology of the unordered configuration spaces on a sphere.Comment: 11 page

The topological cyclic Deligne conjecture

Let O be a cyclic topological operad with multiplication. In the framework of the cosimplicial machinery by McClure and Smith, we prove that the totalization of the cosimplicial space associated to O has an action of an operad equivalent to the framed little 2-discs operad.Comment: An appendix comparing with the construction by McClure and Smith has been adde

Configuration spaces are not homotopy invariant

We present a counterexample to the conjecture on the homotopy invariance of configuration spaces. More precisely, we consider the lens spaces $L_{7,1}$ and $L_{7,2}$, and prove that their configuration spaces are not homotopy equivalent by showing that their universal coverings have different Massey products.Comment: 6 page

On the notions of upper and lower density

Let $\mathcal{P}({\bf N})$ be the power set of ${\bf N}$. We say that a function $\mu^\ast: \mathcal{P}({\bf N}) \to \bf R$ is an upper density if, for all $X,Y\subseteq{\bf N}$ and $h, k\in{\bf N}^+$, the following hold: (F1) $\mu^\ast({\bf N}) = 1$; (F2) $\mu^\ast(X) \le \mu^\ast(Y)$ if $X \subseteq Y$; (F3) $\mu^\ast(X \cup Y) \le \mu^\ast(X) + \mu^\ast(Y)$; (F4) $\mu^\ast(k\cdot X) = \frac{1}{k} \mu^\ast(X)$, where $k \cdot X:=\{kx: x \in X\}$; (F5) $\mu^\ast(X + h) = \mu^\ast(X)$. We show that the upper asymptotic, upper logarithmic, upper Banach, upper Buck, upper Polya, and upper analytic densities, together with all upper $\alpha$-densities (with $\alpha$ a real parameter $\ge -1$), are upper densities in the sense of our definition. Moreover, we establish the mutual independence of axioms (F1)-(F5), and we investigate various properties of upper densities (and related functions) under the assumption that (F2) is replaced by the weaker condition that $\mu^\ast(X)\le 1$ for every $X\subseteq{\bf N}$. Overall, this allows us to extend and generalize results so far independently derived for some of the classical upper densities mentioned above, thus introducing a certain amount of unification into the theory.Comment: 26 pp, no figs. Added a 'Note added in proof' at the end of Sect. 7 to answer Question 6. Final version to appear in Proc. Edinb. Math. Soc. (the paper is a prequel of arXiv:1510.07473

Upper and lower densities have the strong Darboux property

Let $\mathcal{P}({\bf N})$ be the power set of $\bf N$. An upper density (on $\bf N$) is a non\-decreasing and subadditive function $\mu^\ast: \mathcal{P}({\bf N})\to\bf R$ such that $\mu^\ast({\bf N}) = 1$ and $\mu^\ast(k \cdot X + h) = \frac{1}{k} \mu^\ast(X)$ for all $X \subseteq \bf N$ and $h,k \in {\bf N}^+$, where $k \cdot X + h := \{kx + h: x \in X\}$. The upper asymptotic, upper Banach, upper logarithmic, upper Buck, upper P\'olya, and upper analytic densities are examples of upper densities. We show that every upper density $\mu^\ast$ has the strong Darboux property, and so does the associated lower density, where a function $f: \mathcal P({\bf N}) \to \bf R$ is said to have the strong Darboux property if, whenever $X \subseteq Y \subseteq \bf N$ and $a \in [f(X),f(Y)]$, there is a set $A$ such that $X\subseteq A\subseteq Y$ and $f(A)=a$. In fact, we prove the above under the assumption that the monotonicity of $\mu^\ast$ is relaxed to the weaker condition that $\mu^\ast(X) \le 1$ for every $X \subseteq \bf N$.Comment: 10 pages, no figures. Fixed minor details and streamlined the exposition. To appear in Journal of Number Theor