Questions tagged [2-categories]
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147 questions
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Bicategories in which the composition functors $\circ_{A, B, C}$ admit right adjoints
In Bénabou's 1967 Introduction to Bicategories, he mentions that, in a forthcoming part II, he would study bicategories $\mathcal K$ in which each composition functor $$\circ_{A, B, C} \colon \mathcal ...
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What are the algebras of the powerset intersection (oplax) monad?
The assignment $X\mapsto\mathcal{P}(X)$ and $f\mapsto f_*$ (direct images) defines a functor $\mathcal{P}\colon\mathsf{Sets}\to\mathsf{Sets}$.
This functor has a monad structure whose multiplication $\...
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Reference for the biequivalence between the bicategory of distributors and the bicategory of two-sided discrete fibrations
It is well known that a distributor/profunctor $A \not\rightarrow B$, i.e. a functor $B^{\text{op}} \times A \to \mathrm{Set}$, is equivalent to a two-sided discrete fibration from $A$ to $B$. ...
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2-category structure on Mod(R)
Apologies for the basic question but I'm curious to know if there is an ``interesting" $2$-category structure on the category of modules over a ring $R$.
Essentially what is not clear to me if $M,...
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Lax morphism classifiers via lax-idempotentification
Let $T$ be a 2-monad on a nice 2-category $\mathcal K$, so that the inclusion $T\text{-}\mathbf{Alg}_s \to T\text{-}\mathbf{Alg}_l$ of the 2-category of (strict) $T$-algebras and strict $T$-algebra ...
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Does a fully faithful and essentially surjective exact functor between triangulated categories have a quasi-inverse the 2-cat of triangulated cats?
$\def\D{\mathcal{D}}
\def\I{\mathcal{I}}
\def\A{\mathcal{A}}$Triangulated categories are the objects of a 2-category $\mathsf{Triang}$: the 1-morphisms are the exact functors $(F,\xi)$ of triangulated ...
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Universal property of 2-presheaves and pseudo/lax/colax natural transformations
For each small 2-category $\mathscr K$, the 2-category $[\mathscr K^\circ, \mathrm{Cat}]$ of 2-functors and 2-natural transformations has a universal property: it is the free cocompletion of $\mathscr ...
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Free cocompletion of a 2-category under pseudo colimits, lax colimits, and colax colimits
Let $\mathscr K$ be a small 2-category. It follows from $\mathrm{Cat}$-enriched category theory that the free cocompletion of $\mathscr K$ under strict 2-colimits of 2-functors is given by the 2-...
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The Barr-Kock lemma for regular 2-categories
There is a nice result for regular 1-categories, which I quote from page 441 of Borceux & Bourn's textbook "Mal'cev, Protomodular, Homological and Semi-Abelian Categories".
This is ...
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Pullbacks in Cat in a 2-dimensional sense
$\newcommand\Fib{\mathrm{Fib}}\newcommand\Cat{\mathrm{Cat}}\newcommand\OpF{\mathrm{OpF}}\DeclareMathOperator\cod{cod}$In proving that a codomain functor from the 2-category $\Fib$ to $\Cat$ is a 2-...
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On the category Fib of 2-fibrations
I have recently been reading on 2-fibrations. It is well-known (from Hermida) that the codomain functor
$cod \colon \textbf{Fib} \to \textbf{Cat}$ taking each fibration to its base category from the 2-...
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Double categories and fibrations
Is there a way in which Conduche fibrations can lead to completeness in double categories? I know that Conduche conditions on functors play a role in completeness or cocompleteness in pseudo-double ...
- 615
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Strict 2-functoriality of lax-slices of 2-categories
$\DeclareMathOperator{\Hom}{Hom}$
I'm currently interested in the homotopy theory of categories "à la Grothendieck", as he developed it in "Pursuing Stacks". I'm trying to try and ...
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Example of a pseudomonad on Cat whose pseudoalgebras are not the pseudoalgebras for a 2-monad
For every pseudomonad $T$ on the 2-category of (locally small) categories $\mathbf{Cat}$, we can consider the 2-category of $T$-pseudoalgebras and pseudomorphisms $T\text{-PsAlg}_p$, which is equipped ...
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Relations with "for each" composition and its properties (coming from profunctors with end composition)
$\newcommand{\sq}{\mathbin{\square}}$The usual composition $S\diamond R$ of two relations $R\colon A⇸B$ and $S\colon B⇸C$ is defined as follows:
For each $(a,c)\in A\times C$, we declare $a\sim_{S\...
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Looking for Lawvere's "Closed categories and biclosed bicategories" lecture notes
The nLab page on closed bicategories reads
Closed bicategories were introduced by Lawvere in unpublished lecture notes Closed categories and biclosed bicategories (1971).
This work has also been ...
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Existence and characterisations of left Kan extensions and liftings in the bicategory of relations II
This is the second part to a previous question regarding left Kan extensions/lifts in the bicategory $\mathsf{Rel}$ of sets, relations, and inclusions of relations, which has now been split into two ...
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Existence and characterisations of left Kan extensions and liftings in the bicategory of relations I
The bicategory $\mathsf{Rel}$ of sets, relations, and inclusions of relations has right Kan extensions and right Kan lifts¹, however I believe it does not have all left Kan extensions/lifts.
Is it ...
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Existence and explicit descriptions for left and right Kan extensions and lifts in bicategories of spans
Given a category $\mathcal{C}$, it follows from Proposition 4.1 of Day's
Brian Day, Limit spaces and closed span categories, Lecture Notes in Mathematics, 420, 1974 (doi:10.1007/BFb0063100).
That ...
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Universal property of Isbell duality
Let's take $\mathrm{C}$ be a category, let's have an adjunction $(\mathcal{O} \dashv \operatorname{Spec}) : \mathrm{CoPresheaves(C)} \leftrightarrows \mathrm{Presheaves(C)}$. One such adjunction is ...
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Comonoid homomorphisms in the bicategory of profunctors
Cartesian bicategories axiomatize the intuitively evident but mathematically elusive "cartesian" product on bicategories such as Rel, Span, and Prof. An important concept for cartesian ...
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3-functoriality of the lax Gray tensor product
In Formal category theory: adjointness for 2-categories, Gray defines a tensor product of 2-categories, now more commonly known as the lax Gray tensor product, which I will denote by $\otimes_l$. For ...
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What are the internal adjunctions in the bicategory $\mathsf{Span}$?
Recently I've been trying to understand spans better, in particular how they relate to relations, as both may be thought of as "multivalued functions between sets" (see Bruni and Gadducci - ...
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$\mathbf{E}_n$-algebras in nerves of 2-categories
In Example 5.1.2.4 of Higher Algebra, Lurie explains how there is a bijection between equivalence classes braided monoidal structures on one-category $\mathcal{C}$ and $\mathbf{E}_2$-algebra ...
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Examples of bilimits that aren't 2-limits, and some related questions
Recently I've received an email from Sori Lee about an earlier question I had asked, and we ended up with a number of questions about 2-limits and 2-bilimits which I couldn't quite answer, and decided ...
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Does the bicategory of additive categories admit bicolimits?
By bicolimit I mean what Kelly means in its "Elementary observations on 2-categorical limits". If we have a diagram (pseudofunctor) $G\colon\mathcal P\to\mathcal K$, the bicolimit of $G$ is ...
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Classifying spaces of crossed modules
Let $\mathcal{G}$ be a strict topological $2$-group, i.e. a strict $2$-category with a single object, a space of invertible $1$-morphisms, a space of invertible $2$-morphisms and continuous structure ...
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Adjoining a morphism to a finitely complete category
Let $\mathscr C$ be a finitely complete category. Let $x, y$ be objects of $\mathscr C$. We can describe the universal property of freely adjoining a morphism $x \to y$ to $\mathscr C$: it comprises a ...
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Preservation of lax limits in categories of functors and lax natural transformations
Let $f:\mathbb{C} \to \mathbb{D}$ be a functor of 2-categories and let $\operatorname{Fun}(\mathbb{C},\operatorname{Cat})^{\operatorname{lax}}$ denote the 2-category of functors and lax natural ...
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Morphisms of fibered categories which are compatible with the chosen cleavages
Let $\pi \colon F \rightarrow C$ and $\pi' \colon F' \rightarrow C$ be two fibered categories over the category $C$. A morphism from $\pi \colon F \rightarrow C$ to $\pi' \colon F' \rightarrow C$ is a ...
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Reference for $2$-adjoint pairs and preservation of $2$-colimits
I know that similar questions have been asked in the past and, even if some useful explanations/clarifications have been given (so now I know or, at least, I believe I know what results I should ...
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Conditions for natural transformations of weights to induce adjunctions of weighted limits
Suppose we have:
-) A $2$-category $\mathsf{J}$
-) A natural transformation of $\alpha : M \Longrightarrow W : \mathsf{J} \longrightarrow \mathsf{Cat}$
-) A functor $X:\mathsf{J} \longrightarrow \...
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2-completeness of stacks
I am looking for a reference which discusses the 2-categorical properties of the 2-category $St(C,J)$ of stacks and the stackification $\dashv$ inclusion of presheaves 2-adjunction.
My stacks are ...
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What is a correct notion of an internal pseudofunctor?
Let $C$ be a category internal to a category $K$. It is well known (for example see Proposition 2.4 in the paper Higher Dimensional Algebra VI: Lie 2-Algebra by Baez and Crans https://digitalcommons....
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Is totality a (large) cocompleteness condition?
A locally small category $A$ is called total if its Yoneda embedding $A \to [A^\circ, \mathbf{Set}]$ has a left adjoint. Such categories are necessarily small-cocomplete (since the presheaf category ...
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Lifting adjunctions along a localisation of 2-categories
Let $\mathcal S$ be a base category and let $Fib_\mathcal S^{split}$ be the 2-category consisting of split fibrations, fibered functors which strictly preserve the splitting and vertical ...
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Overloading of the word "local" in category theory
The word "local" in category theory does not seem to have a precise definition in itself but it often appears as part of other terminology. To my understanding, it is then used in the ...
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Which direction does a lax dinatural transformation go?
In 2-category theory we often encounter notions with noninvertible coherence 2-cells, in which case there is a choice about which way the 2-cell should point. Generally, one of these directions is ...
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Do the representations of a 2-functor naturally form a contractible 2-category?
In 1-category theory a representation of a 1-functor $F:C\to Set$ is a 0-cell $X$ in $C$ together with a universal element $u\in FX$ such that the transformation $C(X,-)\to F$ is an isomorphism (=a 1-...
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Unitors in Morton's definition of a double bicategory
I am confused by the definition of a double bicategory by Morton in (Definition 3.1.1. in https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0611930), but I need it, so I want to make sure I understand it correctly before I ...
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Can a 2-category be defined by an endofunctor?
Take a category $C$. Define an endofunctor $F:C \rightarrow C$ that is identity on objects. This maps morphisms to morphisms, preserving source and target. This suggests that the endofunctor endows ...
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If a monad in a 2-category admits a terminal resolution, does it admit an Eilenberg–Moore object?
Let $T = (t, \mu, \eta)$ be a monad on an object $A$ of a 2-category $\mathcal K$. In The formal theory of monads, Street proves (Theorem 3) that if $l \dashv r$ is the canonical adjunction associated ...
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Do pseudo 2-limits commute?
It is a well-known fact that if $F:\mathcal{C}_1\times\mathcal{C}_2\rightarrow \mathcal{D}$ is a functor (between 1-categories), then $F$ has a limit if and only if $F:\mathcal{C}_1\rightarrow Fun(\...
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Is the category of cochain complexes with terms in an additive category a 2-category?
$\def\hom{\operatorname{Hom}}
\def\bbZ{\mathbb{Z}}$This question is a follow-up to this other one. There the OP asks whether "the category of chain complexes" (can be interpreted in several ...
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Examples and counterexamples to Lack's coherence observation
In Lack's A 2-categories companion, he states
There are general results asserting that any bicategory is biequivalent to
a 2-category, but in fact naturally occurring bicategories tend to be ...
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What are the algebras for the laxification 2-monad?
Let $C$ be a small 2-category. Let $[C , Cat]$ denote the 2-category of strict functors to $Cat$, 2-natural transformations, and modifications. Let $[[ C, Cat ]]$ denote the 2-category with the same ...
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2-categories for the working algebraic geometer
I study algebraic geometry / number theory and from time to time I stumble upon 2-categorical (co)limits. I have two main examples in mind:
Example 1) In étale cohomology, the (triangulated) derived ...
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Reference request for facts about bi(co)descent objects
I know the following facts are true, but I struggle to find adequate references for them:
Let $T$ be a pseudo-monad on a bicategory $\mathcal{C}$, and let $A$, $B$ be pseudo-algebras for $T$. Then, ...
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Free $2$-category on a $2$-quiver
The construction of the free category on a quiver is standard in category theory.
Is there some $2$-dimensional analog of a quiver such that each $2$-quiver freely gives rise to a $2$-category? How ...
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A 2-category of abelian categories?
Is there a reasonably well-behaved $2$-category of abelian categories, and if so, what are its objects (perhaps one needs to restrict one's attention to finite abelian categories ?), $1$-morphisms (...
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