Transferring homotopy commutative algebraic structures

Abstract

We show that the sum over planar trees formula of Kontsevich and Soibelman transfers C-infinity structures along a contraction. Applying this result to a cosimplicial commutative algebra A^* over a field of characteristic zero, we exhibit a canonical unital C-infinity structure on Tot(A^*), which is unital if A^* is; in particular, we obtain a canonical C-infinity structure on the cochain complex of a simplicial set.