An $\mathsf{A}_{\infty}$ version of the Poincar\'e lemma

Abstract

We prove a categorified version of the Poincar\'e lemma. The natural setting for our result is that of $\infty$-local systems. More precisely, we show that any smooth homotopy between maps $f$ and $g$ induces an $\mathsf{A}_\infty$-natural transformation between the corresponding pullback functors. This transformation is explicitly defined in terms of Chen's iterated integrals. In particular, we show that a homotopy equivalence induces a quasi-equivalence on the DG categories of $\infty$-local system.