Operads in iterated monoidal categories (Q2381420)

An \(n\)-fold monoidal category (in the sense of Balteanu, Fiedorowicz, Schwänzl and Vogt) consists of a category \(\mathcal V\) equipped with tensor products \(\bigotimes_i: \mathcal V\times\mathcal V\rightarrow\mathcal V\), for \(i = 1,\dots,n\), each unital and associative, together with coherent interchange transformations defined by morphisms \((A\bigotimes_j B)\bigotimes_i(C\bigotimes_j D)\rightarrow (A\bigotimes_i C)\bigotimes_j(B\bigotimes_i D)\), for \(1\leq i<j\leq n\). In the paper under review, the authors introduce a natural notion of an \(m\)-fold (non-symmetric) operad, living in any \(n\)-fold monoidal category where \(m\leq n\). In an explicit fashion, an \(m\)-fold operad \(\mathbb C\) in an \(n\)-fold monoidal category \(\mathcal V\) consists of a collection of objects \(\mathbb C(k)\in\mathcal V\) endowed with composition maps \[ \mathbb C(k)\bigotimes_p(\mathbb C(j_1)\bigotimes_q\cdots\bigotimes_q\mathbb C(j_k))\rightarrow\mathbb C(j_1+\cdots+j_k), \] for all \(k\geq 1\), \(j_1,\ldots,j_k\geq 0\) and all \(m\geq q>p\geq 1\), that verify natural unit and associativity relations. To illustrate this definition, the authors observe that the set of \(n\)-dimensional Young diagrams forms an instance of \(n\)-fold monoidal categories and they give examples of \(m\)-fold operads in Young diagrams. The category structure of Young diagrams is given by a total lexicographic ordering. The tensor products \(\bigotimes_i\) are defined by merging operations.