Richard Hepworth : String topology of classifying spaces #1/3

Abstract: Let G be a compact Lie group. Form the classifying space BG. Then form the space LBG of all loops in the classifying space (the strings). Finally, take the homology H_*(LBG). What is its structure? One answer, due to Chataur and Menichi, is that it is part of a "homological conformal field theory", which is an algebraic structure governed by surfaces and their diffeomorphisms. A more recent answer, due to Anssi Lahtinen and myself, is that it is part of an "h-graph field theory" where the surfaces and diffeomorphisms are replaced by much looser homotopy-theoretical versions. These lectures will go through the definitions and constructions in the case where G is finite, with lots of worked examples and so on. Lecture notes will appear on my homepage in due course, hopefully at least two weeks before the workshop.http://homepages.abdn.ac.uk/r.hepworth/pages/