Obstruction theory for extensions of categorical groups (Q1431354)

A categorical group (sometimes called a gr-category) is a monoidal groupoid in which every object is invertible, up to isomorphism, with respect to the tensor product. In this paper, the authors first introduce a categorical group \({\mathcal O}ut({\mathbb H})\) built out, from any categorical group \({\mathbb H}\), by means of a kind of quotient construction, to be developed, in a more general situation, in a subsequent paper. This categorical group fits together with the ones \({\mathbb H}\), \(\mathcal{Z}({\mathbb H})\) (the center of \({\mathbb H}\)) and \({\mathcal E}q({\mathbb H})\) (the equivalences of \({\mathbb H}\)) in a 2-exact sequence \({\mathcal Z}({\mathbb H})\rightarrow {\mathbb H}\rightarrow {\mathcal E}q({\mathbb H})\rightarrow {\mathcal O}ut({\mathbb H})\) [the notion of 2-exactness was introduced in \textit{S. Kasangian} and \textit{E.M. Vitale}, Theory Appl. Categ. 7, 47--70 (2000; Zbl 0964.18002)]. By considering the homotopy groups of these categorical groups, group exact sequences arise associated to this sequence which then particularize to well-known cohomology group exact sequences. Later, Breen's Schreier theory for extensions of categorical groups (of a group by a categorical group \({\mathbb H}\)) [\textit{L. Breen}, Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér., IV. Sér. 25, 465--514 (1992; Zbl 0795.18009)] is codified in terms of (isomorphism classes) of monoidal functors to \({\mathcal O}ut({\mathbb H})\). Finally, the authors develop a sort of Eilenberg-Mac Lane obstruction theory that solves the general problem of classification of all categorical group extensions of a group by a categorical group in terms of ordinary group cohomology.