Symmetric Monoidal Category Research Articles

Admissible replacements for simplicial monoidal model categories

Using Dugger's construction of universal model categories, we produce replacements for simplicial and combinatorial symmetric monoidal model categories with better operadic properties. Namely, these replacements admit a model structure on algebras over any given colored operad. As an application, we show that in the stable case, such symmetric monoidal model categories are classified by commutative ring spectra when the monoidal unit is a compact generator. In other words, they are strong monoidally Quillen equivalent to modules over a uniquely determined commutative ring spectrum.

Universal Causality

Universal Causality is a mathematical framework based on higher-order category theory, which generalizes previous approaches based on directed graphs and regular categories. We present a hierarchical framework called UCLA (Universal Causality Layered Architecture), where at the top-most level, causal interventions are modeled as a higher-order category over simplicial sets and objects. Simplicial sets are contravariant functors from the category of ordinal numbers Δ into sets, and whose morphisms are order-preserving injections and surjections over finite ordered sets. Non-random interventions on causal structures are modeled as face operators that map n-simplices into lower-level simplices. At the second layer, causal models are defined as a category, for example defining the schema of a relational causal model or a symmetric monoidal category representation of DAG models. The third layer corresponds to the data layer in causal inference, where each causal object is mapped functorially into a set of instances using the category of sets and functions between sets. The fourth homotopy layer defines ways of abstractly characterizing causal models in terms of homotopy colimits, defined in terms of the nerve of a category, a functor that converts a causal (category) model into a simplicial object. Each functor between layers is characterized by a universal arrow, which define universal elements and representations through the Yoneda Lemma, and induces a Grothendieck category of elements that enables combining formal causal models with data instances, and is related to the notion of ground graphs in relational causal models. Causal inference between layers is defined as a lifting problem, a commutative diagram whose objects are categories, and whose morphisms are functors that are characterized as different types of fibrations. We illustrate UCLA using a variety of representations, including causal relational models, symmetric monoidal categorical variants of DAG models, and non-graphical representations, such as integer-valued multisets and separoids, and measure-theoretic and topological models.

Indecomposable objects in Khovanov–Sazdanovic's generalizations of Deligne's interpolation categories

Khovanov and Sazdanovic recently introduced symmetric monoidal categories parameterized by rational functions and given by quotients of categories of two-dimensional cobordisms. These categoriesgeneralizeDeligne'sinterpolation categories of representations of symmetric groups. In this paper, we classify indecomposable objects and identify the associated graded Grothendieck rings of Khovanov–Sazdanovic's categories through sums of representation categories over crossed products of polynomial rings over a general field. To obtain these results, we introduce associated graded categories for Krull–Schmidt categories with filtrations as a categorification of the associated graded Grothendieck ring, and study field extensions and Galois descent for Krull–Schmidt categories.

New incompressible symmetric tensor categories in positive characteristic

We propose a method of constructing abelian envelopes of symmetric rigid monoidal Karoubian categories over an algebraically closed field k. If char(k)=p>0, then we use this method to construct the incompressible abelian symmetric tensor categories Verpn, Verpn+ generalizing earlier constructions by Gelfand–Kazhdan and Georgiev–Mathieu for n=1, and by Benson–Etingof for p=2. Namely, Verpn is the abelian envelope of the quotient of the category of tilting modules for SL2(k) by the nth Steinberg module, and Verpn+ is its subcategory generated by PGL2(k)-modules. We show that Verpn are reductions to characteristic p of Verlinde braided tensor categories in characteristic 0, which explains the notation. We study the structure of these categories in detail and, in particular, show that they categorify the real cyclotomic rings Z[2cos(2π∕pn)], and that Verpn embeds into Verpn+1. We conjecture that every symmetric tensor category of moderate growth over k admits a fiber functor to the union Verp∞ of the nested sequence Verp⊂Verp2⊂⋯ . This would provide an analogue of Deligne’s theorem in characteristic 0 and a generalization of the results of Coulembier, Etingof, and Ostrik, which shows that this conjecture holds for Frobenius exact (in particular, semisimple) categories, and, moreover, the fiber functor lands in Verp (in the case of fusion categories, this was shown earlier by Ostrik). Finally, we classify symmetric tensor categories generated by an object with invertible exterior square; this class contains the categories Verpn.

Homotopy theory of net representations

The homotopy theory of representations of nets of algebras over a (small) category with values in a closed symmetric monoidal model category is developed. We illustrate how each morphism of nets of algebras determines a change-of-net Quillen adjunction between the model categories of net representations, which is furthermore, a Quillen equivalence when the morphism is a weak equivalence. These techniques are applied in the context of homotopy algebraic quantum field theory with values in cochain complexes. In particular, an explicit construction is presented that produces constant net representations for Maxwell [Formula: see text]-forms on a fixed oriented and time-oriented globally hyperbolic Lorentzian manifold.

Evaluations of annular Khovanov–Rozansky homology

We describe the universal target of annular Khovanov–Rozansky link homology functors as the homotopy category of a free symmetric monoidal linear category generated by one object and one endomorphism. This categorifies the ring of symmetric functions and admits categorical analogues of plethystic transformations, which we use to characterize the annular invariants of Coxeter braids. Further, we prove the existence of symmetric group actions on the Khovanov–Rozansky invariants of cabled tangles and we introduce spectral sequences that aid in computing the homologies of generalized Hopf links. Finally, we conjecture a characterization of the horizontal traces of Rouquier complexes of Coxeter braids in other types.

Monoidal abelian envelopes and a conjecture of Benson and Etingof

We give several criteria to decide whether a given tensor category is the abelian envelope of a fixed symmetric monoidal category. As a main result we prove that the category of finite-dimensional representations of a semisimple simply connected algebraic group is the abelian envelope of the category of tilting modules. Benson and Etingof conjectured that a certain limit of finite symmetric tensor categories is tensor equivalent to the finite dimensional representations of $SL_2$ in characteristic $2$. We use our results on the abelian envelopes to prove this conjecture and its variants for any prime $p$.

Invertible skew pairings and crossed products for weak Hopf algebras

In this paper we work with invertible skew pairings for weak bialgebras in a symmetric monoidal category where every idempotent morphism splits. We prove that this kind of skew pairings induces examples of weak distributive laws and therefore they provide weak wreath products. Also we will show that they define weakly comonoidal mutually weak inverse pairs of weak distributive laws and, by the results proved by G. Böhm and J. Gómez-Torrecillas, we obtain weak wreath products that become weak bialgebras with respect to the tensor product coalgebra structure. As an application, we will show that the Drinfel'd double of a finite weak Hopf algebra can be constructed using the weak wreath product associated to an invertible $1$-skew pairing.

Galois coverings of enriched categories and an extension of Cohen-Montgomery theorem

The purpose of this paper is to give an intrinsic fundamental group and coverings for categories enriched over an abelian symmetric monoidal category (V,⊗,I). We relate this to various categorical constructions such as the universal covering, smash products and connected gradings of a small V-category B. Finally, we apply these methods to obtain an extension of Cohen-Montgomery duality theorem for coactions to the symmetric monoidal category (V,⊗,I).

Situated Transition Systems

We construct a monoidal category of open transition systems that generate material history as transitions unfold, which we call situated transition systems. The material history generated by a composite system is composed of the material history generated by each component. The construction is parameterized by a symmetric strict monoidal category, understood as a resource theory, from which material histories are drawn. We pay special attention to the case in which this category is compact closed. In particular, if we begin with a compact closed category of integers then the resulting situated transition systems can be understood as systems of double-entry bookkeeping accounts.

Learners' Languages

In "Backprop as functor", the authors show that the fundamental elements of deep learning -- gradient descent and backpropagation -- can be conceptualized as a strong monoidal functor Para(Euc)$\to$Learn from the category of parameterized Euclidean spaces to that of learners, a category developed explicitly to capture parameter update and backpropagation. It was soon realized that there is an isomorphism Learn$\cong$Para(Slens), where Slens is the symmetric monoidal category of simple lenses as used in functional programming. In this note, we observe that Slens is a full subcategory of Poly, the category of polynomial functors in one variable, via the functor $A\mapsto Ay^A$. Using the fact that (Poly,$\otimes$) is monoidal closed, we show that a map $A\to B$ in Para(Slens) has a natural interpretation in terms of dynamical systems (more precisely, generalized Moore machines) whose interface is the internal-hom type $[Ay^A,By^B]$. Finally, we review the fact that the category p-Coalg of dynamical systems on any $p \in$ Poly forms a topos, and consider the logical propositions that can be stated in its internal language. We give gradient descent as an example, and we conclude by discussing some directions for future work.

A Categorical Semantics of Fuzzy Concepts in Conceptual Spaces

We define a symmetric monoidal category modelling fuzzy concepts and fuzzy conceptual reasoning within G\"ardenfors' framework of conceptual (convex) spaces. We propose log-concave functions as models of fuzzy concepts, showing that these are the most general choice satisfying a criterion due to G\"ardenfors and which are well-behaved compositionally. We then generalise these to define the category of log-concave probabilistic channels between convex spaces, which allows one to model fuzzy reasoning with noisy inputs, and provides a novel example of a Markov category.

S-protomodularity of the category of cocommutative bialgebras

We prove that the category of cocommutative bialgebras in any locally presentable symmetric monoidal category is an [Formula: see text]-protomodular category with respect to a particular class of split extensions of cocommutative bialgebras. We also obtain the “partial” well-known Smith is Huq condition, meaning that two effective [Formula: see text]-equivalence relations centralize each other as soon as the normal subobjects associated with them commute in the sense of Huq.

Structured versus Decorated Cospans

One goal of applied category theory is to understand open systems. We compare two ways of describing open systems as cospans equipped with extra data. First, given a functor L:A→X, a `structured cospan' is a diagram in X of the form L(a)→x←L(b). We give a new proof that if A and X have finite colimits and L preserves them, there is a symmetric monoidal double category whose objects are those of A and whose horizontal 1-cells are structured cospans. Second, given a pseudofunctor F:A→Cat, a `decorated cospan' is a diagram in A of the form a→m←b together with an object of F(m). Generalizing the work of Fong, we show that if A has finite colimits and F:(A,+)→(Cat,×) is symmetric lax monoidal, there is a symmetric monoidal double category whose objects are those of A and whose horizontal 1-cells are decorated cospans. We prove that under certain conditions, these two constructions become isomorphic when we take X=∫F to be the Grothendieck category of F. We illustrate these ideas with applications to electrical circuits, Petri nets, dynamical systems and epidemiological modeling.

Hilbert's Theorem 90 in monoidal categories

A categorified version of Hilbert's Theorem 90 is given. The natural setting for our result is that of symmetric monoidal categories. Some applications to the symmetric monoidal categories of modules over a commutative ring, chain complexes and Banach spaces are given.

Analytification, localization and homotopy epimorphisms

We study the interaction between various analytification functors, and a class of morphisms of rings, called homotopy epimorphisms. An analytification functor assigns to a simplicial commutative algebra over a ring R, along with a choice of Banach structure on R, a commutative monoid in the symmetric monoidal model category of simplicial ind-Banach R-modules. We show that several analytifications relevant to analytic geometry - such as Tate, overconvergent, Stein analytification, and formal completion - are homotopy epimorphisms. Another class of examples of homotopy epimorphisms arises from Weierstrass, Laurent and rational localizations in derived analytic geometry. As applications of this result, we prove that Hochschild homology and the cotangent complex are computable for analytic rings, and the computation relies only on known computations of Hochschild homology for polynomial rings. We show that in various senses, Hochschild homology as we define it commutes with localizations, analytifications and completions.

Quantization of Poisson Hopf algebras

We describe a method for quantization of Poisson Hopf algebras in Q-linear symmetric monoidal categories. It is compatible with tensor products and can also be used to produce braided Hopf algebras. The main idea comes from the fact that nerves of groups are symmetric simplicial sets. Nerves of Hopf algebras then turn out to be braided rather than symmetric and nerves of Poisson Hopf algebras to be infinitesimally braided. The problem is thus solved via the standard machinery of Drinfeld associators.

String Diagram Rewrite Theory I: Rewriting with Frobenius Structure

String diagrams are a powerful and intuitive graphical syntax, originating in theoretical physics and later formalised in the context of symmetric monoidal categories. In recent years, they have found application in the modelling of various computational structures, in fields as diverse as Computer Science, Physics, Control Theory, Linguistics, and Biology. In several of these proposals, transformations of systems are modelled as rewrite rules of diagrams. These developments require a mathematical foundation for string diagram rewriting: whereas rewrite theory for terms is well-understood, the two-dimensional nature of string diagrams poses quite a few additional challenges. This work systematises and expands a series of recent conference papers, laying down such a foundation. As a first step, we focus on the case of rewrite systems for string diagrammatic theories that feature a Frobenius algebra. This common structure provides a more permissive notion of composition than the usual one available in monoidal categories, and has found many applications in areas such as concurrency, quantum theory, and electrical circuits. Notably, this structure provides an exact correspondence between the syntactic notion of string diagrams modulo Frobenius structure and the combinatorial structure of hypergraphs. Our work introduces a combinatorial interpretation of string diagram rewriting modulo Frobenius structures in terms of double-pushout hypergraph rewriting. We prove this interpretation to be sound and complete and we also show that the approach can be generalised to rewriting modulo multiple Frobenius structures. As a proof of concept, we show how to derive from these results a termination strategy for Interacting Bialgebras, an important rewrite theory in the study of quantum circuits and signal flow graphs.

On rectification and enrichment of infinity properads

We develop a theory of infinity properads enriched in a general symmetric monoidal infinity category. These are defined as presheaves, satisfying a Segal condition and a Rezk completeness condition, over certain categories of graphs. In particular, we introduce a new category of level graphs which also allow us to give a framework for algebras over an enriched infinity properad. We show that one can vary the category of graphs without changing the underlying theory. We also show that infinity properads cannot always be rectified, indicating that a conjecture of the second author and Robertson is unlikely to hold. This stands in stark contrast to the situation for infinity operads, and we further demarcate these situations by examining the cases of infinity dioperads and infinity output properads. In both cases, we provide a rectification theorem that says that each up-to-homotopy object is equivalent to a strict one.

The spectrum of a localic semiring

AbstractA number of spectrum constructions have been devised to extract topological spaces from algebraic data. Prominent examples include the Zariski spectrum of a commutative ring, the Stone spectrum of a bounded distributive lattice, the Gelfand spectrum of a commutative unital C*-algebra and the Hofmann–Lawson spectrum of a continuous frame.Inspired by the examples above, we define a spectrum for localic semirings. We use arguments in the symmetric monoidal category of suplattices to prove that, under conditions satisfied by the aforementioned examples, the spectrum can be constructed as the frame of overt weakly closed radical ideals and that it reduces to the usual constructions in those cases. Our proofs are constructive.Our approach actually gives ‘quantalic’ spectrum from which the more familiar localic spectrum can then be derived. For a discrete ring this yields the quantale of ideals and in general should contain additional ‘differential’ information about the semiring.