A Weak $\infty$-Functor in Morse Theory

Abstract

In the spirit of Morse homology initiated by Witten and Floer, we construct two $\infty$-categories $\mathcal{A}$ and $\mathcal{B}$. The weak one $\mathcal{A}$ comes out of the Morse-Samle pairs and their higher homotopies, and the strict one $\mathcal{B}$ concerns the chain complexes of the Morse functions. Based on the boundary structures of the compactified moduli space of gradient flow lines of Morse functions with parameters, we build up a weak $\infty$-functor $\mathcal{F}:\mathcal{A}\to \mathcal{B}$. Higher algebraic structures behind Morse homology are revealed with the perspective of defects in topological quantum field theory.