We study the general structure of 2-C*-categories closed under conjugation, projections and direct sums. We do not assume units to be simple, i.e. for i_A the 1-unit corresponding to an object A, the space Hom(i_A, i_A) is a commutative unital C*-algebra. We show that 2-arrows can be viewed as continuous sections in Hilbert bundles and describe the behaviour of the fibres with respect to the categorical structure. We give an example of a 2-C*-Category giving rise to bundles of finite Hopf-algebras in duality. We make some remarks concerning Frobenius algebras and Q-systems in the general context of tensor C*-categories with non-simple units.
We produce a cofibrantly generated simplicial symmetric monoidal model structure for the category of (small unital) C*-categories, whose weak equivalences are the unitary equivalences. The closed monoidal structure consists of the maximal tensor product, which generalizes that of C*-algebras, with the Ghez-Lima-Roberts C*-categories of *-functors, C*(A,B), providing the internal Hom's.
We show that every unitarizable fusion category, and more generally every semisimple C*-tensor category, admits a unique unitary structure. Our proof is based on a categorified polar decomposition theorem for monoidal equivalences between such categories. We prove analogous results for unitarizable braided fusion categories and module categories.
This article shows that the units of a skew monoidal category are unique up to a unique isomorphism, and internalises this fact to skew monoidales. Some benefits of certain extra structure on the unit maps are also discussed before the axioms of a skew monoidal category are shown to be independent.
We classify which dual functors on a unitary multitensor category are compatible with the dagger structure in terms of groupoid homomorphisms from the universal grading groupoid to $\mathbb{R}_{>0}$ where the latter is considered as a groupoid with one object. We then prove that all unitary dual functors induce unitarily equivalent bi-involutive structures. As an application, we provide the unitary version of the folklore correspondence between shaded planar ${\rm C^*}$ algebras with finite dimensional box spaces and unitary multitensor categories with a chosen unitary dual functor and chosen …
Inspired by Lurie's theory of quasi-unital algebras we prove an analogous result for $\infty$-categories. In particular, we show that the unital structure of an $\infty$-category can be uniquely recovered from the underlying non-unital structure once suitable candidates for units have been identified. The main result of this paper can be used to produce a proof for the 1-dimensional cobordism hypothesis, as described in a forthcoming paper.
In this paper, we study weakly unital dg categories as they were defined by Kontsevich and Soibelman [KS, Sect.4]. We construct a cofibrantly generated Quillen model structure on the category $\mathrm{Cat}_{\mathrm{dgwu}}(\Bbbk)$ of small weakly unital dg categories over a field $\Bbbk$. Our model structure can be thought of as an extension of the model structure on the category $\mathrm{Cat}_{\mathrm{dg}}(\Bbbk)$ of (strictly unital) small dg categories over $\Bbbk$, due to Tabuada [Tab]. More precisely, we show that the imbedding of $\mathrm{Cat}_{\mathrm{dg}}(\Bbbk)$ to $\mathrm{Cat}_{\math…
In this article we extend the theory of lax monoidal structures, also known as multitensors, and the monads on categories of enriched graphs that they give rise to. Our first principal result -- the lifting theorem for multitensors -- enables us to see the Gray tensor product of 2-categories and the Crans tensor product of Gray categories as part of this framework. We define weak n-categories with strict units by means of a notion of reduced higher operad, using the theory of algebraic weak factorisation systems. Our second principal result is to establish a lax tensor product on the category …
We explore an alternative definition of unit in a monoidal category originally due to Saavedra: a Saavedra unit is a cancellative idempotent (in a 1-categorical sense). This notion is more economical than the usual notion in terms of left-right constraints, and is motivated by higher category theory. To start, we describe the semi-monoidal category of all possible unit structures on a given semi-monoidal category and observe that it is contractible (if nonempty). Then we prove that the two notions of units are equivalent in a strong functorial sense. Next, it is shown that the unit compatibili…
Given a rigid C*-tensor category C with simple unit and a probability measure $μ$ on the set of isomorphism classes of its simple objects, we define the Poisson boundary of $(C,μ)$. This is a new C*-tensor category P, generally with nonsimple unit, together with a unitary tensor functor $Π: C \to P$. Our main result is that if P has simple unit (which is a condition on some classical random walk), then $Π$ is a universal unitary tensor functor defining the amenable dimension function on C. Corollaries of this theorem unify various results in the literature on amenability of C*-tensor categorie…
In this paper, which is subsequent to our previous paper [PS] (but can be read independently from it), we continue our study of the closed model structure on the category $\mathrm{Cat}_{\mathrm{dgwu}}(\Bbbk)$ of small weakly unital dg categories (in the sense of Kontsevich-Soibelman [KS]) over a field $\Bbbk$. In [PS], we constructed a closed model structure on the category of weakly unital dg categories, imposing a technical condition on the weakly unital dg categories, saying that $\mathrm{id}_x\cdot \mathrm{id}_x=\mathrm{id}_x$ for any object $x$. Although this condition led us to a great s…
The category of strict omega-categories has an important full subcategory whose objects are the simple omega-categories freely generated by planar trees or by globular cardinals. We give a simple description of this subcategory in terms of chain complexes, and we give a similar description of the opposite category, the category of finite discs, in terms of cochain complexes. Berger has shown that the category of simple omega-categories has a filtration by iterated wreath products of the simplex category. We generalise his result by considering wreath products of categories of chain complexes o…
Bicommutant categories are higher categorical analogs of von Neumann algebras that were recently introduced by the first author. In this article, we prove that every unitary fusion category gives an example of a bicommutant category. This theorem categorifies the well known result according to which a finite dimensional *-algebra that can be faithfully represented on a Hilbert space is in fact a von Neumann algebra.
We classify all simple transitive $2$-representations for two classes of finitary $2$-categories associated with tree path algebras and also for one class of fiat $2$-categories associated with truncated polynomial rings. Additionally, we compute the Drinfeld centers for all these $2$-categories.
A concrete computation -- twelve slidings with sixteen tiles -- reveals that certain commutativity phenomena occur in every double semigroup. This can be seen as a sort of Eckmann-Hilton argument, but it does not use units. The result implies in particular that all cancellative double semigroups and all inverse double semigroups are commutative. Stepping up one dimension, the result is used to prove that all strictly associative two-fold monoidal categories (with weak units) are degenerate symmetric. In particular, strictly associative one-object, one-arrow 3-groupoids (with weak units) cannot…
In this paper, we classify finite categories with two objects such that one of the endomorphism monoids is a group. We prove that having a group on one side affects the structure of the other endomorphism monoid, and we prove that it is going to contain a simple semigroup. We also prove the other direction, that if we have a Rees matrix semigroup we can construct a category with two objects such that one of the objects is a group.
In this note, we discuss the notion of symmetric self-duality of shaded planar algebras, which allows us to lift shadings on subfactor planar algebras to obtain Z/2Z-graded unitary fusion categories. This finishes the proof that there are unitary fusion categories with fusion graphs 4442 and 3333.
We study (not necessarily connected) Z-graded A-infinity-algebras and their A-infinity-modules. Using the cobar and the bar construction and Quillen's homotopical algebra, we describe the localisation of the category of A-infinity-algebras with respect to A-infintity-quasi-isomorphisms. We then adapt these methods to describe the derived category of an augmented A-infinity-algebra A. The case where A is not endowed with an augmentation is treated differently. Nevertheless, when A is strictly unital, its derived category can be described in the same way as in the augmented case. Next, we compar…
We define and study opfibrations of $V$-enriched categories when $V$ is an extensive monoidal category whose unit is terminal and connected. This includes sets, simplicial sets, categories, or any locally cartesian closed category with disjoint coproducts and connected unit. We show that for an ordinary category $B$, there is an equivalence of 2-categories between $V$-enriched opfibrations over the free $V$-category on $B$, and pseudofunctors from $B$ to the 2-category of $V$-categories. This generalizes the classical ($Set$-enriched) Grothendieck correspondence.
Given a variety of universal algebras. A method is suggested for describing automorphisms of a category of free algebras of this variety. Applying this general method all automorphisms of such categories are found in two cases: 1) for the variety of all free associative K-algebras over an infinite field K and 2) for the variety of all representations of groups in unital R-modules over a commutative associative ring R with unit. It turns out that they are almost inner in a sense.
We prove that the category of models of any relational Horn theory satisfying a mild syntactic condition is infinitely extensive. Central examples of such categories include the categories of preordered sets and partially ordered sets, and the categories of small $\mathscr{V}$-categories, (symmetric) pseudo-$\mathscr{V}$-metric spaces, and (symmetric) $\mathscr{V}$-metric spaces for a commutative unital quantale $\mathscr{V}$. We also explicitly characterize initial sources and final sinks in such categories, and in particular embeddings and quotients.
We introduce the class of isotypic $2$-representations for finitary $2$-categories and the notion of inflation of $2$-representations. Under some natural assumptions we show that isotypic $2$-representations are equivalent to inflations of cell $2$-representations.
We show that in the Deligne categories $\mathrm{Rep}(S_t)$ for $t$ a transcendental number, the only simple algebra objects are images of simple algebras in the category of representations of a symmetric group under a canonical induction functor. They come in families which interpolate the families of algebras of functions on the cosets of $H\times S_{n-k}$ in $S_n$, for a fixed subgroup $H$ of $S_k$.
This paper gives a simple presentation of the free star-autonomous category over a category, based on Eilenberg-Kelly-MacLane graphs and Trimble rewiring, yielding a full coherence theorem: the commutativity of diagrams of canonical maps is decidable.
In this short note we investigate the process of constructing auto-equivalences of modular tensor categories using invertible objects. We derive conditions on the invertible object for the resulting auto-equivalence to be either monoidal, braided, or pivotal. We also discuss the composition of these auto-equivalences constructed from invertible objects. To demonstrate the practicality of this construction, we construct auto-equivalences of several real-world examples of modular tensor categories.
We introduce a tensor product for symmetric monoidal categories with the following properties. Let SMC denote the 2-category with objects small symmetric monoidal categories, arrows symmetric monoidal functors and 2-cells monoidal natural transformations. Our tensor product together with a suitable unit is part of a structure on SMC that is a 2-categorical version of the symmetric monoidal closed categories. This structure is surprisingly simple. In particular the arrows involved in the associativity and symmetry laws for the tensor and in the unit cancellation laws are 2-natural and satisfy c…
We give an alternative presentation of braided monoidal categories. Instead of the usual associativity and braiding we have just one constraint (the b-structure). In the unital case, the coherence conditions for a b-structure are shown to be equivalent to the usual associativity, unit and braiding axioms. We also discuss the next dimensional version, that is, b-structures on bicategories. As an application, we show how special b-categories result in the Yang-Baxter equation, and how special b-bicategories produce Zamolodchikov's tetrahedron equation. Finally, we define a cohomology theory (the…
We extend the 2-representation theory of finitary 2-categories to certain 2-categories with infinitely many objects, denoted locally finitary 2-categories, and extend the classical classification results of simple transitive 2-representations of weakly fiat 2-categories to this environment. We also consider locally finitary 2-categories and 2-representations with a grading, and prove the associated coalgebra 1-morphisms have a homogeneous structure. We use these results to classify simple transitive 2-representations of certain classes of cyclotomic 2-Kac-Moody algebras.
In the present article, we describe constructions of model structures on general bicomplete categories. We are motivated by the following question: given a category $\mathcal{C}$ with a subcategory $w\mathcal{C}$ closed under retracts, when is there a model structure on $\mathcal{C}$ with $w\mathcal{C}$ as the subcategory of weak equivalences? We begin exploring this question in the case where $w\mathcal{C} = F^{-1}(\mathrm{iso}\, \mathcal{D})$ for some functor $F:\mathcal{C}\rightarrow \mathcal{D}$. We also prove properness of our constructions under minor assumptions and examine an applicati…
We characterize those varieties of universal algebras where every split epimorphism considered as a map of sets is a product projection. In addition we obtain new characterizations of protomodular, unital and subtractive varieties as well as varieties of right omega-loops and biternary systems.
In this paper, we study properties of maps between fibrant objects in model categories. We give a characterization of weak equivalences between fibrant object. If every object of a model category is fibrant, then we give a simple description of a set of generating cofibrations. We show that to construct such model structure it is enough to check some relatively simple conditions.
We define the twisted tensor product of two enriched categories, which generalizes various sorts of `products' of algebraic structures, including the bicrossed product of groups, the twisted tensor product of (co)algebras and the double cross product of bialgebras. The key ingredient in the definition is the notion of simple twisting systems between two enriched categories. To give examples of simple twisted tensor products we introduce matched pairs of enriched categories. Several other examples related to ordinary categories, posets and groupoids are also discussed.
We classify semisimple module categories over the tensor category of representations of quantum SL(2) extending previous results to the roots of unity and positive characteristic cases.
This article studies the categorical setting of Abramsky, Haghverdi, and Scott's untyped linear combinatory algebras, and relates this to more recent work of Abramsky and Heunen on Frobenius algebras in the infinitary setting. The key to this is extensional reflexivity (the property of an object being isomorphic to its own internal hom. $N\cong [N\rightarrow N]$). We characterise extensional reflexivity in compact closed categories, and consider how this may be `strictified' to give monoidally equivalent categories where the isomorphisms exhibiting reflexivity are identity arrows. This results…
Skew-monoidal categories arise when the associator and the left and right units of a monoidal category are, in a specific way, not invertible. We prove that the closed skew-monoidal structures on the category of right R-modules are precisely the right bialgebroids over the ring R. These skew-monoidal structures induce quotient skew-monoidal structures on the category of R-R-bimodules and this leads to the following generalization: Opmonoidal monads on a monoidal category correspond to skew-monoidal structures with the same unit object which are compatible with the ordinary monoidal structure b…
A duality between the category of convex spaces and measurable spaces arises from the existence of the unit interval, which is an object in both these categories. The full subcategory of the category of convex spaces, consisting of just the single object, the unit interval, is both a dense and codense subcategory in the category of convex spaces. Combined with the the symmetric monoidal closed category structure of the category, one obtains the double dualization monad into the unit interval, which sends a point to the evaluation map at that point. The restriction of the codomain of the unit o…
We focus on the problem of producing new modular tensor categories from Hopf algebras. To do this, we first give a general method to construct factorizable Hopf algebras. Then we apply the method to construct two families of ribbon factorizable Hopf algebras which are not quantum groups or Drinfel'd double. One family are point Hopf algebras which give non-semisimple modular tensor categories, while the other family are C^*-Hopf algebras which give new unitary modular tensor categories. Lastly, we determine the fusion rings of these unitary modular tensor categories.
A central extension is a regular epimorphism in a Barr exact category $\mathscr{C}$ satisfying suitable conditions involving a given Birkhoff subcategory of $\mathscr{C}$ (joint work with G. M. Kelly, 1994). In this paper we take $\mathscr{C}$ to be the category of (not-necessarily-unital) algebras over a (unital) commutative ring and consider central extensions with respect to the category of commutative algebras. We propose a new approach that avoids the intermediate notion of central extension due to A. Fröhlich in showing that $α:A\to B$ is a central extension if and only if $aa'=a'a$ for …
In this article, we define and study the class of simple transitive $2$-representations of finitary $2$-categories. We prove a weak version of the classical Jordan-Hölder Theorem where the weak composition subquotients are given by simple transitive $2$-representations. For a large class of finitary $2$-categories we prove that simple transitive $2$-representations are exhausted by cell $2$-representations. Finally, we show that this large class contains finitary quotients of $2$-Kac-Moody algebras.
Fusion rules generalize groups by allowing multivalued multiplication. Groups are fusion rules of simple current index 1. We classify nilpotent (in the sense of Gelaki and Nikshych) fusion rules of simple current index 2, and characterize the associated fusion categories.
Algebraic structures in which the property of commutativity is substituted by the mediality property are introduced. We consider (associative) graded algebras and instead of almost commutativity (generalized commutativity or $\varepsilon$-commutativity) we introduce almost mediality ("commutativity-to-mediality" ansatz). Higher graded twisted products and "deforming" brackets (being the medial analog of Lie brackets) are defined. Toyoda's theorem which connects (universal) medial algebras with abelian algebras is proven for the almost medial graded algebras introduced here. In a similar way we…
