Homotopical Quantum Field Theory

Abstract

Algebraic quantum field theory and prefactorization algebra are two mathematical approaches to quantum field theory. In this monograph, using a new coend definition of the Boardman-Vogt construction of a colored operad, we define homotopy algebraic quantum field theories and homotopy prefactorization algebras and investigate their homotopy coherent structures. Homotopy coherent diagrams, homotopy inverses, A-infinity-algebras, E-infinity-algebras, and E-infinity-modules arise naturally in this context. In particular, each homotopy algebraic quantum field theory has the structure of a homotopy coherent diagram of A-infinity-algebras and satisfies a homotopy coherent version of the causality axiom. When the time-slice axiom is defined for algebraic quantum field theory, a homotopy coherent version of the time-slice axiom is satisfied by each homotopy algebraic quantum field theory. Over each topological space, every homotopy prefactorization algebra has the structure of a homotopy coherent diagram of E-infinity-modules over an E-infinity-algebra. To compare the two approaches, we construct a comparison morphism from the colored operad for (homotopy) prefactorization algebras to the colored operad for (homotopy) algebraic quantum field theories and study the induced adjunctions on algebras.