Morita classes of algebras in modular tensor categories

We consider algebras in a modular tensor category C. If the trace pairing of an algebra A in C is non-degenerate we associate to A a commutative algebra Z(A), called the full centre, in a doubled version of the category C. We prove that two simple algebras with non-degenerate trace pairing are Morita-equivalent if and only if their full centres are isomorphic as algebras. This result has an interesting interpretation in two-dimensional rational conformal field theory; it implies that there cannot be several incompatible sets of boundary conditions for a given bulk theory.     

The Fusion Algebra of Bimodule Categories

We establish an algebra-isomorphism between the complexified Grothendieck ring of certain bimodule categories over a modular tensor category and the endomorphism algebra of appropriate morphism spaces of those bimodule categories. This provides a purely categorical proof of a conjecture by Ostrik concerning the structure of . As a by-product we obtain a concrete expression for the structure constants of the Grothendieck ring of the bimodule category in terms of endomorphisms of the tensor unit of the underlying modular tensor category.      

Correlation Functions and Boundary Conditions in Rational Conformal Field Theory and Three-Dimensional Topology

We give a general construction of correlation functions in rational conformal field theory on a possibly nonorientable surface with boundary in terms of three-dimensional topological field theory. The construction applies to any modular category in the sense of Turaev. It is proved that these correlation functions obey modular invariance and factorization rules. Structure constants are calculated and expressed in terms of the data of the modular category.     

Nilpotent fusion categories

In this paper we extend categorically the notion of a finite nilpotent group to fusion categories. To this end, we first analyze the trivial component of the universal grading of a fusion category C, and then introduce the upper central series of C. For fusion categories with commutative Grothendieck rings (e.g., braided fusion categories) we also introduce the lower central series. We study arithmetic and structural properties of nilpotent fusion categories, and apply our theory to modular categories and to semisimple Hopf algebras. In particular, we show that in the modular case the two central series are centralizers of each other in the sense of M. Müger.     

On the moduli space of deformations of bihamiltonian hierarchies of hydrodynamic type

We investigate the deformation theory of the simplest bihamiltonian structure of hydrodynamic type, that of the dispersionless KdV hierarchy. We prove that all of its deformations are quasi-trivial in the sense of B. Dubrovin and Y. Zhang, that is, trivial after allowing transformations where the first partial derivative ∂u of the field is inverted. We reformulate the question about deformations as a question about the cohomology of a certain double complex, and calculate the appropriate cohomology group.     

Normal Sections and Direct Product Decompositions

Abstract

In any finitely complete category, there is an internal notion of normal monomorphism. We give elementary conditions guaranteeing that a normal section s: Y → X of an arrow f: X → Y produces a direct product decomposition of the form X ? Y × W. We then show how these conditions gradually vanish in various algebraic contexts, such as Maltsev, protomodular and additive categories.     

Coherence, Homotopy and 2-Theories

2-Theories are a canonical way of describing categories with extra structure. 2-theory-morphisms are used when discussing how one structure can be replaced with another structure. This is central to categorical coherence theory. We place a Quillen model category structure on the category of 2-theories and 2-theory-morphisms where the weak equivalences are biequivalences of 2-theories. A biequivalence of 2-theories induces a biequivalence of 2-categories of algebras. This model category structure allows one to talk of the homotopy of 2-theories and discuss the universal properties of coherence.     

Basic quasi-Hopf algebras over cyclic groups

Let m be a positive integer, not divisible by 2, 3, 5, 7. We generalize the classification of basic quasi-Hopf algebras over cyclic groups of prime order given in Etingof and Gelaki (2006) [11] to the case of cyclic groups of order m. To this end, we introduce a family of non-semisimple radically graded quasi-Hopf algebras A(H,s), constructed as subalgebras of Hopf algebras twisted by a quasi-Hopf twist, which are not twist equivalent to Hopf algebras. Any basic quasi-Hopf algebra over a cyclic group of order m is either semisimple, or is twist equivalent to a Hopf algebra or a quasi-Hopf algebra of type A(H,s).     

On the Action of the Dual Group on the Cohomology of Perverse Sheaves on the Affine Grassmannian

It was proved by Ginzburg, Mirkovic and Vilonen that the G(O)-equivariant perverse sheaves on the affine Grassmannian of a connected reductive group G form a tensor category equivalent to the tensor category of finite dimensional representations of the dual group G . In this paper we construct explicitly the action of G on the global cohomology of a perverse sheaf.     

An Algebraic Presentation of Term Graphs, via GS-Monoidal Categories

We present a categorical characterization of term graphs (i.e., finite, directed acyclic graphs labeled over a signature) that parallels the well-known characterization of terms as arrows of the algebraic theory of a given signature (i.e., the free Cartesian category generated by it). In particular, we show that term graphs over a signature are one-to-one with the arrows of the free gs-monoidal category generated by . Such a category satisfies all the axioms for Cartesian categories but for the naturality of two transformations (the discharger ! and the duplicator ), providing in this way an abstract and clear relationship between terms and term graphs. In particular, the absence of the naturality of and ! has a precise interpretation in terms of explicit sharing and of loss of implicit garbage collection, respectively.     

Finite field elements of high order arising from modular curves

In this paper, we recursively construct explicit elements of provably high order in finite fields. We do this using the recursive formulas developed by Elkies to describe explicit modular towers. In particular, we give two explicit constructions based on two examples of his formulas and demonstrate that the resulting elements have high order. Between the two constructions, we are able to generate high order elements in every characteristic. Despite the use of the modular recursions of Elkies, our methods are quite elementary and require no knowledge of modular curves. We compare our results to a recent result of Voloch. In order to do this, we state and prove a slightly more refined version of a special case of his result.      

A Categorical Definition of Semidirect Products

For any punctured category, a definition of a semidirect product and its dual counterpart, a semidirect sum, is given. Several examples are studied, among which are semidirect products of commutative Banach algebras and locally compact topological groups, and semidirect sums of compact Hausdorff spaces with basepoint. Also, further applications to commutative Banach algebras are given.     

The small quantum group as a quantum double

We prove that the quantum double of the quasi-Hopf algebra of dimension attached in [P. Etingof, S. Gelaki, On radically graded finite-dimensional quasi-Hopf algebras, Mosc. Math. J. 5 (2) (2005) 371–378] to a simple complex Lie algebra and a primitive root of unity q of order n² is equivalent to Lusztig's small quantum group (under some conditions on n). We also give a conceptual construction of using the notion of de-equivariantization of tensor categories.     

Representations of Algebraic Quantum Groups and Reconstruction Theorems for Tensor Categories

We give a pedagogical survey of those aspects of the abstract representation theory of quantum groups which are related to the Tannaka–Krein reconstruction problem. We show that every concrete semisimple tensor *-category with conjugates is equivalent to the category of finite-dimensional nondegenerate *-representations of a discrete algebraic quantum group. Working in the self-dual framework of algebraic quantum groups, we then relate this to earlier results of S. L. Woronowicz and S. Yamagami. We establish the relation between braidings and R-matrices in this context. Our approach emphasizes the role of the natural transformations of the embedding functor. Thanks to the semisimplicity of our categories and the emphasis on representations rather than corepresentations, our proof is more direct and conceptual than previous reconstructions. As a special case, we reprove the classical Tannaka–Krein result for compact groups. It is only here that analytic aspects enter, otherwise we proceed in a purely algebraic way. In particular, the existence of a Haar functional is reduced to a well-known general result concerning discrete multiplier Hopf *-algebras.     

Topological conformal field theories and Calabi-Yau categories

This is the first of two papers which construct a purely algebraic counterpart to the theory of Gromov-Witten invariants (at all genera). These Gromov-Witten type invariants depend on a Calabi-Yau A_∞ category, which plays the role of the target in ordinary Gromov-Witten theory. When we use an appropriate A_∞ version of the derived category of coherent sheaves on a Calabi-Yau variety, this constructs the B model at all genera. When the Fukaya category of a compact symplectic manifold X is used, it is shown, under certain assumptions, that the usual Gromov-Witten invariants are recovered. The assumptions are that open-closed Gromov-Witten theory can be constructed for X, and that the natural map from the Hochschild homology of the Fukaya category of X to the ordinary homology of X is an isomorphism.