Algebraic characterisation of the category of cobordisms of 2-dimensional CW-complexes and the Andrews-Curtis conjecture

Abstract

We prove that $S^1$ is a unimodular, cocommutative Hopf algebra in the category $CW^{1+1}$ of 2-equivalence classes of cobordisms of 2-dimensional CW-complexes and that $CW^{1+1}$ is actually equivalent to the symmetric monoidal category freely generated by such Hopf algebra. Moreover, we show that the algebraic structure the category ${\cal C}hb^{3+1}$ of cobordisms of orientable relative 4-dimensional 2-handlebody cobordisms up to 2-deformations described in \cite{BP12}, is a refinement of the algebraic structure of their spines.