Higher-dimensional category theory is the study of n-categories, operads, braided monoidal categories, and other such exotic structures. It draws its inspiration from areas as diverse as topology, quantum algebra, mathematical physics, logic, and theoretical computer science. This is the first book on the subject and lays its foundations.
Many examples are given throughout. There is also an introductory chapter motivating the subject for topologists.
We endow categories of non-symmetric operads with natural model structures. We work with no restriction on our operads and only assume the usual hypotheses for model categories with a symmetric monoidal structure. We also study categories of algebras over these operads in enriched non-symmetric monoidal model categories.
We prove, under mild assumptions, that a Quillen equivalence between symmetric monoidal model categories gives rise to a Quillen equivalence between their model categories of (non-symmetric) operads, and also between model categories of algebras over operads. We also show left properness results on model categories of operads and algebras over operads. As an application, we prove homotopy invariance for (unital) associative operads.
We introduce twisted arrow categories of operads and of algebras over operads. Up to equivalence of categories, the simplex category $Δ$, Segal's category $Γ$, Connes cyclic category $Λ$, Moerdijk-Weiss dendroidal category $Ω$, and categories similar to graphical categories of Hackney-Robertson-Yau are twisted arrow categories of symmetric or cyclic operads. Twisted arrow categories of operads admit Segal presheaves and 2-Segal presheaves, or decomposition spaces. Twisted arrow category of an operad $P$ is the $(\infty, 1)$-localization of the corresponding category $Ω/P$ by the boundary prese…
I describe a generalization of the notion of operadic category due to Batanin and Markl. For each such operadic category I describe a skew monoidal category of collections, such that a monoid in this skew monoidal category is precisely an operad over the operadic category. In fact I describe two skew monoidal categories with this property. The first has the feature that the operadic category can be recovered from the skew monoidal category of collections; the second has the feature that the right unit constraint is invertible. In the case of the operadic category S of finite sets and functions…
Operads were originally defined as V-operads, that is, enriched in a symmetric or braided monoidal category V. The symmetry or braiding in V is required in order to describe the associativity axiom the operads must obey, as well as the associativity that must be a property of the action of an operad on any of its algebras. After a review of the role of operads in loop space theory and higher categories we go over definitions of iterated monoidal categories and introduce a large family of simple examples. Then we generalize the definition of operad by defining n-fold operads and their algebras …
We decribe the correspondence between normalised $ω$-operads and certain lax monoidal structures on the category of globular sets. As with ordinary monoidal categories, one has a notion of category enriched in a lax monoidal category. Within the aforementioned correspondence, we provide also an equivalence between the algebras of a given normalised $ω$-operad, and categories enriched in globular sets for the induced lax monoidal structure.
The purpose of this paper is two-fold. In Part 1 we introduce a new theory of operadic categories and their operads. This theory is, in our opinion, of an independent value. In Part 2 we use this new theory together with our previous results to prove that multiplicative 1-operads in duoidal categories admit, under some mild conditions on the underlying monoidal category, natural actions of contractible 2-operads. The result of D. Tamarkin on the structure of dg-categories, as well as the classical Deligne conjecture for the Hochschild cohomology, is a particular case of this statement.
We explain how any cofibrantly generated weak factorisation system on a category may be equipped with a universally and canonically determined choice of cofibrant replacement. We then apply this to the theory of weak omega-categories, showing that the universal and canonical cofibrant replacement of the operad for strict omega-categories is precisely Leinster's operad for weak omega-categories.
We prove the existence of Morita model structures on the categories of small simplicial categories, simplicial sets, simplicial operads and dendroidal sets, modelling the Morita homotopy theory of $(\infty,1)$-categories and $\infty$-operads. We give a characterization of the weak equivalences in terms of simplicial presheaves, simplicial algebras and slice categories. In the case of the Morita model structure for simplicial categories and simplicial operads, we also show that each of these model structures can be obtained as an explicit left Bousfield localization of the Bergner model structu…
We use Lurie's symmetric monoidal envelope functor to give two new descriptions of $\infty$-operads: as certain symmetric monoidal $\infty$-categories whose underlying symmetric monoidal $\infty$-groupoids are free, and as certain symmetric monoidal $\infty$-categories equipped with a symmetric monoidal functor to finite sets (with disjoint union as tensor product). The latter leads to a third description of $\infty$-operads, as a localization of a presheaf $\infty$-category, and we use this to give a simple proof of the equivalence between Lurie's and Barwick's models for $\infty$-operads.
In this paper we develop the theory of operads, algebras and modules in cofibrantly generated symmetric monoidal model categories. We give J-semi model strucures, which are a slightly weaker version of model structures, for operads and algebras and model structures for modules. In a second part we develop the thoery of S-modules of [EKMM]., which allows a general homotopy theory for commutative algebras and pseudo unital symmetric monoidal categories of modules over them. Finally we prove a base change and projection formula.
We extend the theory of d-categories, by providing an explicit description of the right mapping spaces of the d-homotopy category of an $\infty$-category. Using this description, we deduce an invariant $\infty$-categorical characterization of the d-homotopy category. We then proceed to develop an analogous theory of d-operads, which model $\infty$-operads with (d -1)-truncated multi-mapping spaces, and prove analogous results for them.
In this paper we study duoidal structures on $\infty$-categories of operadic modules. Let $\mathcal{O}^{\otimes}$ be a small coherent $\infty$-operad and let $\mathcal{P}^{\otimes}$ be an $\infty$-operad. If a $\mathcal{P}\otimes\mathcal{O}$-monoidal $\infty$-category $\mathcal{C}^{\otimes}$ has a sufficient supply of colimits, then we show that the $\infty$-category ${\rm Mod}_A^{\mathcal{O}}(\mathcal{C})$ of $\mathcal{O}$-$A$-modules in $\mathcal{C}^{\otimes}$ has a structure of $(\mathcal{P},\mathcal{O})$-duoidal $\infty$-category for any $\mathcal{P}\otimes\mathcal{O}$-algebra object $A$.
We extend the W-construction of Boardman and Vogt to operads of an arbitrary monoidal model category with suitable interval, and show that it provides a cofibrant resolution for well-pointed sigma-cofibrant operads. The standard simplicial resolution of Godement as well as the cobar-bar chain resolution are shown to be particular instances of this generalised W-construction.
In this paper we introduce the notion of an operator category and two different models for homotopy theory of $\infty$-operads over an operator category -- one of which extends Lurie's theory of $\infty$-operads, the other of which is completely new, even in the commutative setting. We define perfect operator categories, and we describe a category $Λ(Φ)$ attached to a perfect operator category $Φ$ that provides Segal maps. We define a wreath product of operator categories and a form of the Boardman--Vogt tensor product that lies over it. We then give examples of operator categories that provid…
Over suitable monoidal model categories, we construct a Dwyer-Kan model category structure on the category of algebras over an augmented operadic collection. As examples we obtain Dwyer-Kan model category structure on the categories of enriched wheeled props, wheeled properads, and wheeled operads, among others. This result extends known model category structure on the categories of operads, properads, and props enriched in simplicial sets and other monoidal model categories. We also show that our Dwyer-Kan model category structure is well behaved with respect to simultaneous changes of the un…
We establish a highly flexible condition that guarantees that all colored symmetric operads in a symmetric monoidal model category are admissible, i.e., the category of algebras over any operad admits a model structure transferred from the original model category. We also give a necessary and sufficient criterion that ensures that a given weak equivalence of admissible operads admits rectification, i.e., the corresponding Quillen adjunction between the categories of algebras is a Quillen equivalence. In addition, we show that Quillen equivalences of underlying symmetric monoidal model categori…
We establish a Quillen equivalence relating the homotopy theory of Segal operads and the homotopy theory of simplicial operads, from which we deduce that the homotopy coherent nerve functor is a right Quillen equivalence from the model category of simplicial operads to the model category structure for infinity-operads on the category of dendroidal sets. By slicing over the monoidal unit, this also gives the Quillen equivalence between Segal categories and simplicial categories proved by J. Bergner, as well as the Quillen equivalence between quasi-categories and simplicial categories proved by …
The present article exploits the fact that permutads (aka shuffle algebras) are algebras over a terminal operad in a certain operadic category Per. In the first, classical part we formulate and prove a claim envisaged by Loday and Ronco that the cellular chains of the permutohedra form the minimal model of the terminal permutad which is moreover, in the sense we define, self-dual and Koszul. In the second part we study Koszulity of Per-operads. Among other things we prove that the terminal Per-operad is Koszul self-dual. We then describe strongly homotopy permutads as algebras of its minimal m…
Batanin and Markl's operadic categories are categories in which each map is endowed with a finite collection of "abstract fibres" -- also objects of the same category -- subject to suitable axioms. We give a reconstruction of the data and axioms of operadic categories in terms of the décalage comonad D on small categories. A simple case involves unary operadic categories -- ones wherein each map has exactly one abstract fibre -- which are exhibited as categories which are, first of all, coalgebras for the comonad D, and, furthermore, algebras for the monad induced on the category of D-coalgebr…
We study a certain type of action of categories on categories and on operads. Using the structure of the categories Δ and Ω governing category and operad structures, respectively, we define categories which instead encode the structure of a category acting on a category, or a category acting on an operad. We prove that the former has the structure of an elegant Reedy category, whereas the latter has the structure of a generalized Reedy category. In particular, this approach gives a new way to regard group actions on categories and on operads.
This monograph provides a coherent development of operads, infinity operads, and monoidal categories, equipped with equivariant structures encoded by an action operad. A group operad is a planar operad with an action operad equivariant structure. In the first three parts of this monograph, we establish a foundation for group operads and for their higher coherent analogues called infinity group operads. Examples include planar, symmetric, braided, ribbon, and cactus operads, and their infinity analogues. For example, with the tools developed here, we observe that the coherent ribbon nerve of th…
We show that Schmitt's hereditary species induce monoidal decomposition spaces, and exhibit Schmitt's bialgebra construction as an instance of the general bialgebra construction on a monoidal decomposition space. We show furthermore that this bialgebra structure coacts on the underlying restriction-species bialgebra structure so as to form a comodule bialgebra. Finally, we show that hereditary species induce a new family of examples of operadic categories in the sense of Batanin and Markl.
We propose a new model for multicategories with symmetries with respect to Zhang's group operads. The fully faithful embedding of the category of group operads into that of crossed interval groups is made use of, and it is shown that every multicategory gives rise to a fibration, in a sense, over a quotient of the total category of group operads. The symmetric structures can be presented as structures of internal presheaves over a category internal to the category of small categories, in other words a double category.
Generalizing the approach to pseudo monoidal DG-categories as certain colored non-symmetric DG-operads, we introduce a certain relaxed notion of a category enriched in DG-categories. We construct model structures on the category of colored non-symmetric DG-operads and on the category of DGCat-enriched categories with a fixed set of objects. This allows us to talk about strong homotopy maps in both settings. We discuss the notion of a strong homotopy monad in a DG-category and a notion of strong homotopy adjunction data for two DG-functors.
We define the notion of a 2-operad relative to an operad, and prove that the 2-associahedra form a 2-operad relative to the associahedra. Using this structure, we define the notions of an $(A_\infty,2)$-category and $(A_\infty,2)$-algebra in spaces and in chain complexes over a ring. Finally, we show that for any continuous map $A \to X$, we can associate an $(A_\infty,2)$-algebra $θ(A \to X)$ in $\textsf{Top}$, which specializes to $θ(\text{pt} \to X) = Ω^2 X$ and $θ(A \to \text{pt}) = ΩA \times ΩA$.
We give a framework for comparing on the one hand theories of n-categories that are weakly enriched operadically, and on the other hand n-categories given as algebras for a contractible globular operad. Examples of the former are the definition by Trimble and variants (Cheng-Gurski) and examples of the latter are the definition by Batanin and variants (Leinster). We will show how to take a theory of n-categories of the former kind and produce a globular operad whose algebras are the n-categories we started with. We first provide a generalisation of Trimble's original theory that allows for the…
A quadratic algebra is a homogeneous algebra generated by its elements of degree 1. Manin has endowed the category of quadratic algebras with two tensor products. These structures have been adapted to operads by Ginsburg and Kapranov. Berger has defined such tensor products for n-homogeneous algebras. The purpose of this paper is to define the notion of quadratic category, which is a category endowed with two tensor products. The Manin and Ginsburg-Kapranov constructions are examples of quadratic categories. We define also a Koszul complex, n-homogeneous operads and show how this notion can be…
This short note reports on joint work with Michael Batanin towards a general machine for proving Baez-Dolan Stabilization Theorems for various models of higher categories, based on substitudes, Bousfield localization, and homotopical Beck-Chevalley squares. I provide a road map to our recent papers, and include new results proving Baez-Dolan Stabilization Theorems for Tamsamani weak $n$-categories, higher Segal categories, Ara's $n$-quasi-categories, and cartesian models of Segal and complete Segal objects due to Bergner and Rezk. I also attempt to clarify the connection to higher braided oper…
We show how to "interleave" the monad for operads and the monad for contractions on the category \coll of collections, to construct the monad for the operads-with-contraction of Leinster. We first decompose the adjunction for operads and the adjunction for contractions into a chain of adjunctions each of which acts on only one dimension of the underlying globular sets at a time. We then exhibit mutual stability conditions that enable us to alternate the dimension-by-dimension free functors. Hence we give an explicit construction of a left adjoint for the forgetful functor $\owc \lra \coll$, fr…
We introduce the dendroidal analogs of the notions of complete Segal space and of Segal category, and construct two appropriate model categories for which each of these notions corresponds to the property of being fibrant. We prove that these two model categories are Quillen equivalent to each other, and to the monoidal model category for infinity-operads which we constructed in an earlier paper. By slicing over the monoidal unit objects in these model categories, we derive as immediate corollaries the known comparison results between Joyal's quasi-categories, Rezk's complete Segal spaces, and…
One of the open problems in higher category theory is the systematic construction of the higher dimensional analogues of the Gray tensor product. In this paper we continue the work of [7] to adapt the machinery of globular operads [4] to this task. The resulting theory includes the Gray tensor product of 2-categories and the Crans tensor product [12] of Gray categories. Moreover much of the previous work on the globular approach to higher category theory is simplified by our new foundations, and we illustrate this by giving an expedited account of many aspects of Cheng's analysis [11] of Trimb…
It is shown how double categories provide a direct abstract approach to coloured operads; namely, product-preserving normal lax functors from (Pb C)^op (the opposite of the double category of pullback squares in C) to Cat (the double category of functors and profunctors) can be seen as generalized operads, the standard ones arising when C = Set_f. In this context, generalized symmetric monoidal categories are considered, in particular those arising from indexed categories with sums or products.
Involutive category theory provides a flexible framework to describe involutive structures on algebraic objects, such as anti-linear involutions on complex vector spaces. Motivated by the prominent role of involutions in quantum (field) theory, we develop the involutive analogs of colored operads and their algebras, named colored $\ast$-operads and $\ast$-algebras. Central to the definition of colored $\ast$-operads is the involutive monoidal category of symmetric sequences, which we obtain from a general product-exponential $2$-adjunction whose right adjoint forms involutive functor categorie…
The goal of the present paper is to compare, in a precise way, two notions of operads up to homotopy which appear in the literature. Namely, we construct a functor from the category of strict unital homotopy colored operads to the category of infinity-operads. The former notion, that we make precise, is the operadic generalization of the notion of A-infinity-categories and the latter notion was defined by Moerdijk--Weiss in order to generalize the simplicial notion of infinity-category of Joyal--Lurie. This functor extends in two directions the simplicial nerve of Faonte--Lurie for A-infinity-…
A moment category is endowed with a distinguished set of split idempotents, called moments, which can be transported along morphisms. Equivalently, a moment category is a category with an active/inert factorisation system fulfilling two simple axioms. These axioms imply that the moments of a fixed object form a monoid, actually a left regular band. Each locally finite unital moment category defines a specific type of operad which records the combinatorics of partitioning moments into elementary ones. In this way the notions of symmetric, non-symmetric and $n$-operad correspond to unital moment…
The notion of 2--monoidal category used here was introduced by B.~Vallette in 2007 for applications in the operadic context. The starting point for this article was a remark by Yu. Manin that in the category of quadratic algebras (that is, "quantum linear spaces") one can also define 2--monoidal structure(s) with rather unusual properties. Here we give a detailed exposition of these constructions, together with their generalisations to the case of quadratic operads. Their parallel exposition was motivated by the following remark. Several important operads/cooperads such as genus zero quantum c…
In our recent papers [Sh1,2], we introduced a {\it twisted tensor product} of dg categories, and provided, in terms of it, {\it a contractible 2-operad $\mathcal{O}$}, acting on the category of small dg categories, in which the "natural transformations" are derived. We made use of some homotopy theory developed in [To] to prove the contractibility of the 2-operad $\mathcal{O}$. The contractibility is an important issue, in vein of the theory of Batanin [Ba1,2], according to which an action of a contractible $n$-operad on $C$ makes $C$ a weak $n$-category. In this short note, we provide a new e…
We set up a general theory of weak or homotopy-coherent enrichment in an arbitrary monoidal $\infty$-category $\mathcal{V}$. Our theory of enriched $\infty$-categories has many desirable properties; for instance, if the enriching $\infty$-category $\mathcal{V}$ is presentably symmetric monoidal then $\mathrm{Cat}^\mathcal{V}_\infty$ is as well. These features render the theory useful even when an $\infty$-category of enriched $\infty$-categories comes from a model category (as is often the case in examples of interest, e.g. dg-categories, spectral categories, and $(\infty,n)$-categories). This…
One of the open problems in higher category theory is the systematic construction of the higher dimensional analogues of the Gray tensor product of 2-categories. In this paper we continue the developments of [3] and [2] by understanding the natural generalisations of Gray's little brother, the funny tensor product of categories. In fact we exhibit for any higher categorical structure definable by an n-operad in the sense of Batanin [1], an analogous tensor product which forms a symmetric monoidal closed structure on the category of algebras of the operad.
Inspired by recent work of Batanin and Berger on the homotopy theory of operads, a general monad-theoretic context for speaking about structures within structures is presented, and the problem of constructing the universal ambient structure containing the prescribed internal structure is studied. Following the work of Lack, these universal objects must be constructed from simplicial objects arising from our monad-theoretic framework, as certain 2-categorical colimits called codescent objects. We isolate the extra structure present on these simplicial objects which enable their codescent object…
The homotopy theory of infinity-operads is defined by extending Joyal's homotopy theory of infinity-categories to the category of dendroidal sets. We prove that the category of dendroidal sets is endowed with a model category structure whose fibrant objects are the infinity-operads (i.e. dendroidal inner Kan complexes). This extends the theory of infinity-categories in the sense that the Joyal model category structure on simplicial sets whose fibrant objects are the infinity-categories is recovered from the model category structure on dendroidal sets by simply slicing over the point.
We establish, by elementary means, the existence of a cofibrantly generated monoidal model structure on the category of operads. By slicing over a suitable operad the classical Rezk model structure on the category of small categories is recovered.
We show that every action operad gives rise to a notion of monoidal category via the categorical version of the Borel construction, embedding action operads into the category of 2-monads on $\mathbf{Cat}$. We characterize those 2-monads in the image of this embedding, and as an example show that the theory of coboundary categories corresponds precisely to the operad of $n$-fruit cactus groups. We finally define $\mathbfΛ$-multicategories for an action operad $\mathbfΛ$, and show that they arise as monads in a Kleisli bicategory.
