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TCFT totalization versus ribbon graph complex and compatibility with Kontsevich’s map

Prove that the open TCFT functor F associated to a cyclic A∞-category with objects B induces a map F_tot: Tot^+(𝒪_B) → 𝔽^{pq}(V_B); prove that Tot^+(𝒪_B) is quasi-isomorphic to the B-coloured ribbon graph complex ℛ𝔾_B; and, under this identification, show that the generalized Kontsevich map ρ_I equals F_tot (extended γ-linearly) and is compatible with gluing of open boundaries corresponding to leaf-gluing in ribbon graphs.

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Background

The paper relates structures from open TCFTs to ribbon graph complexes. For a set of objects B and a cyclic A∞-category, the authors expect a precise link between the totalization Tot+(𝒪_B) of Costello’s category 𝒪_B of chains on moduli of Riemann surfaces with boundary and the B-coloured ribbon graph complex ℛ𝔾_B.

They further expect that the generalized Kontsevich cocycle construction ρ_I factors through this identification, matching gluing operations on both sides. While motivated by Costello’s results, the authors have not checked sign and grading issues and thus phrase the claim as a conjecture.

References

\begin{Claim}[`Conjecture']\label{ibssm} We claim that $F$ induces a map $$F_{tot}:Tot+(\mathcal{O}_B)\rightarrow \mathcal{F}{pq}(V_B).$$ We further claim that $$ Tot+(\mathcal{O}_B)\simeq \mathcal{RG}{B}$$ and under this conjectural equivalence $\rho_I=F{tot}$ when extended $\gamma$-linearly (see diagram \ref{tot_nc}). Further this quasi-isomorphism is compatible with the operation of gluing open boundaries together and corresponds to gluing leafs together. \end{Claim} Up to signs and possible gradings, this claim should follow from Costello's work, eg Proposition 6.2.1 of and generally section 6.2 of , see also and may be straightforward to experts.\footnote{The idea is that we can reorder the tensor factors as in \ref{tensf}, quotiented by the symmetric group, by remembering their preimage under $F$. For each element of $Tot+(\mathcal{O}_B)$ we obtain a symmetric ordering of cyclic orderings of elements of $B$, provided by the coloring of free boundaries in the boundary components of a surface.}

We did not check the details on signs and gradings and thus formulated the above as a conjecture.

Kontsevich's Cocycle Construction and Quantization of the Loday-Quillen-Tsygan Theorem (2506.15210 - Ulmer, 18 Jun 2025) in Subsection “2d Topological Field Theories” (within Section 1.3)