Model structures on ind-categories and the accessibility rank of weak equivalences

Abstract

In a recent paper we introduced a much weaker and easy to verify structure than a model category, which we called a fibration category. We further showed that a small weak fibration category can be completed into a full model category structure on its pro-category, provided the pro-category satisfies a certain two out of three property. In the present paper we give sufficient intrinsic conditions on a weak fibration category for this two out of three property to hold. We apply these results to prove theorems giving sufficient conditions for the finite accessibility of the category of weak equivalences in combinatorial model categories. We apply these theorems to the standard model structure on the category of simplicial sets, and deduce that its class of weak equivalences is finitely accessible. The same result on simplicial sets was recently proved also by Raptis and Rosický, using different methods.