Higher categories,strings, cubes and simplex equations

This survey of categorical structures, occurring naturally in mathematics, physics and computer science, deals with monoidal categories; various structures in monoidal categories; free monoidal structures; Penrose string notation; 2-dimensional categorical structures; the simplex equations of field theory and statistical mechanics; higher-order categories and computads; the (v,d)-cube equations; the simplex equations as cubical cocycle equations; and, cubes, braids and higher braids.     

Skew Monoidal Monoids

Skew monoidal categories are monoidal categories with non-invertible “coherence” morphisms. As shown in a previous article, bialgebroids over a ring R can be characterized as the closed skew monoidal structures on the category Mod-R in which the unit object is R_R. This offers a new approach to bialgebroids and Hopf algebroids. Little is known about skew monoidal structures on general categories. In the present article, we study the one-object case: skew monoidal monoids (SMMs). We show that they possess a dual pair of bialgebroids describing the symmetries of the (co)module categories of the SMM. These bialgebroids are submonoids of their own base and are rank 1 free over the base on the source side. We give various equivalent definitions of SMM, study the structure of their (co)module categories, and discuss the possible closed and Hopf structures on a SMM.     

Braided bosonization and inhomogeneous quantum groups

We consider quasitriangular Hopf algebras in braided tensor categories introduced by Majid. It is known that a quasitriangular Hopf algebra H in a braided monoidal category C induces a braiding in a full monoidal subcategory of the category of H-modules in C. Within this subcategory, a braided version of the bosonization theorem with respect to the category C will be proved. An example of braided monoidal categories with quasitriangular structure deviating from the ordinary case of symmetric tensor categories of vector spaces is provided by certain braided supersymmetric tensor categories. Braided inhomogeneous quantum groups like the dilaton free q-Poincaré group are explicit applications.Supported in part by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) through a research fellowship.     

A Skew-Duoidal Eckmann-Hilton Argument and Quantum Categories

A general result relating skew monoidal structures and monads is proved. This is applied to quantum categories and bialgebroids. Ordinary categories are monads in the bicategory whose morphisms are spans between sets. Quantum categories were originally defined as monoidal comonads on endomorphism objects in a particular monoidal bicategory ?. Then they were shown also to be skew monoidal structures (with an appropriate unit) on objects in ?. Now we see in what kind of ? quantum categories are merely monads.     

Monoidal Entwined模范畴上的张量积恒等式

本文研究了monoidal entwined模范畴上的张量积恒等式.利用了monoidal entwined模范畴的性质及Doi-Hopf模范畴上的张量积恒等式的研究方法,获得了monoidal entwined模范畴上的一些张量积恒等式,并证明了entwined模范畴有足够的内射对象,结果推广了Doi-Hopf模范畴的结论.     

An Embedding Theorem for Abelian Monoidal Categories

We show that, with some technical conditions, an Abelian monoidal category admits a monoidal embedding into the category of bimodules over a ring. The case of semisimple rigid monoidal categories is studied in more detail.     

Centre of an algebra

Motivated by algebraic structures appearing in Rational Conformal Field Theory we study a construction associating to an algebra in a monoidal category a commutative algebra (full centre) in the monoidal centre of the monoidal category. We establish Morita invariance of this construction by extending it to module categories.As an example we treat the case of group-theoretical categories.     

Limits for Lax Morphisms

We investigate limits in the 2-category of strict algebras and lax morphisms for a 2-monad. This includes both the 2-category of monoidal categories and monoidal functors as well as the 2-category of monoidal categories and opomonoidal functors, among many other examples.Mathematics Subject Classifications (2000) 18D05, 18C20, 18C15, 18A30.     

Traces in monoidal derivators,and homotopy colimits

A variant of the trace in a monoidal category is given in the setting of closed monoidal derivators, which is applicable to endomorphisms of fiberwise dualizable objects. Functoriality of this trace is established. As an application, an explicit formula is deduced for the trace of the homotopy colimit of endomorphisms over finite categories in which all endomorphisms are invertible. This result can be seen as a generalization of the additivity of traces in monoidal categories with a compatible triangulation.     

Cartesian Differential Categories as Skew Enriched Categories

We exhibit the cartesian differential categories of Blute, Cockett and Seely as a particular kind of enriched category. The base for the enrichment is the category of commutative monoids—or in a straightforward generalisation, the category of modules over a commutative rig k. However, the tensor product on this category is not the usual one, but rather a warping of it by a certain monoidal comonad Q. Thus the enrichment base is not a monoidal category in the usual sense, but rather a skew monoidal category in the sense of Szlachányi. Our first main result is that cartesian differential categories are the same as categories with finite products enriched over this skew monoidal base. The comonad Q involved is, in fact, an example of a differential modality. Differential modalities are a kind of comonad on a symmetric monoidal k-linear category with the characteristic feature that their co-Kleisli categories are cartesian differential categories. Using our first main result, we are able to prove our second one: that every small cartesian differential category admits a full, structure-preserving embedding into the cartesian differential category induced by a differential modality (in fact, a monoidal differential modality on a monoidal closed category—thus, a model of intuitionistic differential linear logic). This resolves an important open question in this area.

     

Infinite loop spaces,and coherence for symmetric monoidal bicategories

This paper proves three different coherence theorems for symmetric monoidal bicategories. First, we show that in a free symmetric monoidal bicategory every diagram of 2-cells commutes. Second, we show that this implies that the free symmetric monoidal bicategory on one object is equivalent, as a symmetric monoidal bicategory, to the discrete symmetric monoidal bicategory given by the disjoint union of the symmetric groups. Third, we show that every symmetric monoidal bicategory is equivalent to a strict one.     

Abelian categories of modules over a (lax) monoidal functor

Crane and Yetter (Deformations of (bi)tensor categories, Cahier de Topologie et Géometrie Differentielle Catégorique, 1998) introduced a deformation theory for monoidal categories. The related deformation theory for monoidal functors introduced by Yetter (in: E. Getzler, M. Kapranov (Eds.), Higher Category Theory, American Mathematical Society Contemporary Mathematics, Vol. 230, American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI, 1998, pp. 117-134.) is a proper generalization of Gerstenhaber's deformation theory for associative algebras (Ann. Math. 78(2) (1963) 267; 79(1) (1964) 59; in: M. Hazewinkel, M. Gerstenhaber (Eds.), Deformation Theory of Algebras and Structure and Applications, Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1988, pp. 11-264). In the present paper we solidify the analogy between lax monoidal functors and associative algebras by showing that under suitable conditions, categories of functors with an action of a lax monoidal functor are abelian categories. The deformation complex of a monoidal functor is generalized to an analogue of the Hochschild complex with coefficients in a bimodule, and the deformation complex of a monoidal natural transformation is shown to be a special case. It is shown further that the cohomology of a monoidal functor F with coefficients in an F,F-bimodule is given by right derived functors.     

Monoidal Hom–Hopf Algebras

Hom-structures (Lie algebras, algebras, coalgebras, Hopf algebras) have been investigated in the literature recently. We study Hom-structures from the point of view of monoidal categories; in particular, we introduce a symmetric monoidal category such that Hom-algebras coincide with algebras in this monoidal category, and similar properties for coalgebras, Hopf algebras, and Lie algebras.     

Monoidal Morita invariants for finite group algebras

Two Hopf algebras are called monoidally Morita equivalent if module categories over them are equivalent as linear monoidal categories. We introduce monoidal Morita invariants for finite-dimensional Hopf algebras based on certain braid group representations arising from the Drinfeld double construction. As an application, we show, for any integer n, the number of elements of order n is a monoidal Morita invariant for finite group algebras. We also describe relations between our construction and invariants of closed 3-manifolds due to Reshetikhin and Turaev.     

Functorial Calculus in Monoidal Bicategories

The definition and calculus of extraordinary natural transformations is extended to a context internal to any autonomous monoidal bicategory. The original calculus is recaptured from the geometry of the monoidal bicategory V-Mod whose objects are categories enriched in a cocomplete symmetric monoidal category V and whose morphisms are modules.     

Classification of Spherical Fusion Categories of Frobenius-Schur Exponent 2

In this paper,we propose a new approach towards the classification of spherical fusion categories by their Frobenius-Schur exponents.We classify spherical fusion categories of Frobenius-Schur exponent 2 up to monoidal equivalence.We also classify modular categories of Frobenius-Schur exponent 2 up to braided monoidal equivalence.It turns out that the Gauss sum is a complete invariant for modular categories of FrobeniusSchur exponent 2.This result can be viewed as a categorical analog of Arf's theorem on the classification of non-degenerate quadratic forms over fields of characteristic 2.     

Making the Category of Doi-Hopf Modules into a Braided Monoidal Category

We investigate how the category of Doi-Hopf modules can be made into a monoidal category. It suffices that the algebra and coalgebra in question are both bialgebras with some extra compatibility relation. We study tensor identies for monoidal categories of Doi-Hopf modules. Finally, we construct braidings on a monoidal category of Doi-Hopf modules. Our construction unifies quasitriangular and coquasitriangular Hopf algebras, and Yetter-Drinfel'd modules.     

Internal Kleisli categories

A construction of Kleisli objects in 2-categories of noncartesian internal categories or categories internal to monoidal categories is presented.     

Yetter–Drinfeld Modules over Weak Braided Hopf Monoids and Center Categories

In this paper,we introduce several centralizer constructions in a monoidal context and establish a monoidal equivalence with the category of Yetter–Drinfeld modules over a weak braided Hopf monoid.We apply the general result to the calculus of the center in module categories.