Braided monoidal 2-categories and Manin-Schechtman higher braid groups (Q1318781)

The original connection relating braid groups, 2-categories, coherence, and the cubical polytopes was made by \textit{J. W. Gray} [Algebra, Topology, Category Theory, 63-76 (1976; Zbl 0391.18007)]. More recent developments involving monoidal categories, braid groups and Yang-Baxter operators can be found in work of \textit{A. Joyal} and the reviewer [``Braided tensor categories'', Adv. Math. 102, 20--78 (1993; Zbl 0817.18007)], and \textit{V. G. Turaev} [Invent. Math. 92, 527--553 (1988; Zbl 0648.57003)]. It is natural to ask whether there is a higher-dimensional linking of monoidal bicategories, higher pure braid groups \(T(2,n)\) in the sense of \textit{Yu. I. Manin} and \textit{V. V. Shekhtman} [Adv. Stud. Pure Math. 17, 289--308 (1989; Zbl 0759.20002)], and the Zamolodchikov tetrahedron equation of statistical mechanics. The authors began this study in [``2-categories and Zamolodchikov tetrahedra equations'', Proc. Symp. Pure Math. 56, Pt. 2, 177--259 (1994; Zbl 0809.18006)]. For 2-categories \({\mathcal A}\), \({\mathcal X}\), let \(\text{Ps}({\mathcal A},{\mathcal X})\) be the 2-category whose objects are 2-functors \({\mathcal A} \to {\mathcal X}\) and whose arrows are pseudo-natural transformations; \(\text{Ps}({\mathcal A},{\mathcal X})\) provides an internal hom for a certain symmetric tensor product \({\mathcal A} \blacklozenge {\mathcal B}\) of 2-categories which is a variant of the tensor product of \textit{J. W. Gray} [loc. cit.]. It was shown by \textit{R. Gordon, A. J. Power} and the reviewer [``Coherence for tricategories'', Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 558, 81 p. (1995; Zbl 0836.18001)] that every monoidal bicategory is appropriately equivalent to a monoid \(\mathcal A\) for this tensor product. The authors call such a monoid \(\mathcal A\) a semi-strict monoidal 2-category; it is a 2-category with its own tensor product 2- functor \(\otimes : {\mathcal A} \blacklozenge {\mathcal A} \to {\mathcal A}\). A braiding on such an \(\mathcal A\) is, for them, a pseudo-natural transformation \(R: \otimes \to \otimes'\), where \(\otimes'\) is the composite of \(\otimes\) with the switch 2-functor \({\mathcal A} \blacklozenge {\mathcal A} \to {\mathcal A} \blacklozenge {\mathcal A}\). Such an \(R\) generally gives two different 2-cells \(S^ -\), \(S^ +\) in the Yang-Baxter hexagon. By using various choices of \(S^ -\), \(S^ +\) in the eight hexagons of the 3-dimensional permutohedron, the authors obtain eight Zamolodchikov equations. Using this, they show that the higher braid group \(T(2,n)\) acts, by invertible 2-cells, on arrows \(A_ 1 \otimes \dots \otimes A_ n \to A_ n \otimes \dots \otimes A_ 1\) for all objects \(A_ 1,\dots,A_ n\) in \(\mathcal A\).