arXiv2026
Let $\mathcal{C}$ be a differential $\mathbb{Z}/2$-graded category over $\mathbb{C}$. Its periodic cyclic homology $HH^{per}_*(\mathcal{C})$, when viewed as a vector bundle over the formal punctured disk, is equipped with a canonical connection $\nabla^{\mathcal{C}}_{\partial_t}$ called the Getzler-Gauss-Manin connection in the $t$-direction (or the categorical $t$-connection). Our main result is that when $\mathcal{C}$ is smooth and proper, this connection has a regular singularity at $t=0$ and quasi-unipotent monodromy, affirming a conjecture of Katzarkov-Kontsevich-Pantev \cite{KKP}. Our proof follows a reduction mod $p$ argument using a spreading out technique of Toën \cite{To} and a regularity criterion of Katz \cite{Ka1}. The main novelty is the proof of a multiplicative property of the $p$-curvature of $\nabla^{\mathcal{C}}_{\partial_t}$ through an interpretation in terms of the two-colored Kontsevich-Soibelman operad. We then explore two applications of the main result. First, we give an explicit description (under additional assumptions) of the non-commutative Hodge filtration on the periodic cyclic homology of a smooth proper d$(\mathbb{Z}/2)$g category, following a construction of Shklyarov \cite{Shk}. The second application, which is special to our particular method or proof, is an upper bound on the sizes of Jordan blocks of the monodromy of $\nabla^{\mathcal{C}}_{\partial_t}$, which simultaneously generalizes Scherk's local monodromy theorem for isolated hypersurface singularities \cite{Sche} and (partially) a recent result of Pomerleano-Seidel on the quantum connection of a closed monotone symplectic manifold \cite{PS2}. As a specialization, we show that the sizes of these Jordan blocks are bounded above by the diagonal dimension of $\mathcal{C}$ plus one.