Two-dimensional topological theories, rational functions and their tensor envelopes (Q2159054)

This paper works over a field \(\boldsymbol{k}\), occasionally specializing to a characteristic \(0\) field. The authors consider \(\boldsymbol{k}\)-linear symmetric monoidal categories called \textit{tensor categories}. This paper is concerned with the following nine categories. \begin{itemize} \item \(\mathrm{Cob}_{2}\): Oriented \(2\)D cobordisms between one-manifolds \item \(\mathrm{VCob}_{\alpha}\): Viewable cobordisms \item \(\mathrm{SCob}_{\alpha}\): Skein category, denoted \(\mathrm{PCob}_{\alpha }\) \item \(\mathrm{Cob}_{\alpha}\): Gligible quotient of \(\mathrm{SCob}_{\alpha} \) by the kernels of trace forms \item \(\mathrm{DCob}_{\alpha}\): Deligne category \item \(\underline{\mathrm{DCob}}_{\alpha}\): Gligible quotient of the Deligne category \item \(\mathrm{SCob}_{\alpha}^{\oplus}\): The finite additive closure of \(\mathrm{SCob}_{\alpha}^{{}}\) \item \(\mathrm{Cob}_{\alpha}^{\oplus}\): The finite additive closure of \(\mathrm{Cob}_{\alpha}\) \end{itemize} The nine categories are connected by functors as follows. \[ \begin{array} [c]{ccccccccc} \mathrm{Cob}_{2} & \rightarrow & \mathrm{VCob}_{\alpha} & \rightarrow & \mathrm{SCob}_{\alpha}^{{}} & \rightarrow & \mathrm{SCob}_{\alpha}^{\oplus} & \rightarrow & \mathrm{DCob}_{\alpha}\\ & & & & \downarrow & & \downarrow & & \downarrow\\ & & & & \mathrm{Cob}_{\alpha} & \rightarrow & \mathrm{Cob}_{\alpha} ^{\oplus} & \rightarrow & \underline{\mathrm{DCob}}_{\alpha} \end{array} \] The four rightmost categories are additive and the three categories to the left of them are \(\boldsymbol{k}\)-linear and pre-additive, while \(\mathrm{Cob}_{2}\) is neither pre-additive nor \(\boldsymbol{k}\)-linear. All eight categories are rigid symmetic monoidal. The bottom three categories are gligible quotients of the respective categories above them, and their hom spaces carry non-degenerate bilinear forms. Category \(\mathrm{DCob}_{\alpha} \) is the analogue of the Deligne category \(\mathrm{Rep}(S_{t})\) and specializes to it when the sequence \(\alpha\) is constant, \[ \alpha(t)=(t,t,\dots),\quad Z_{\alpha(t)}=\frac{t}{1-T},\quad t\in\boldsymbol{k} \] Category \(\underline{\mathrm{DCob}}_{\alpha}\) is the analogue of the quotient \underline{\(\mathrm{Rep}\)}\((S_{t})\) of \(\mathrm{Rep} (S_{t})\) by negligible morphisms, and specializes to it when the sequence \(\alpha\) is constant. This paper investigates generalized Deligne categories \(\mathrm{DCob}_{\alpha }\), their quotients \(\underline{\mathrm{DCob}}_{\alpha}\) as well as categories \(\mathrm{SCob}_{\alpha}^{{}}\) and \(\mathrm{Cob}_{\alpha}\) for other rational series \(\alpha\), which are referred to as \textit{tensor envelopes} of \(\alpha\). The synopsis of the paper goes as follows. \begin{itemize} \item[\S 2] discusses basic properties of tensor envelopes. \S 2.1 points out the the scaling \[ Z(T)\mapsto\lambda^{-1}Z(\lambda T) \] for an invertible \(\lambda=\mu^{2}\) does not change the categories considered. \S 2.2 explains that any commutative Frobenius algebra object in a pre-additive tensor category gives rise to a power series \(\alpha\) with coefficients in the commutative ring \(\mathrm{End}(\boldsymbol{1} )\) of endomorphisms of the unit object. \S 2.3 recalls the universal property of \(\mathrm{Cob}_{\alpha}\). \S 2.4 investigates direct sum decompositions of commutative Frobenius algebra objects which mirror partial decompositions of their rational generating series. \item[\S 3] contains key semisimplicity and abelian realization criteria for the tensor envelopes of \(\alpha\), including Theorem 3.2 and Theorem 3.7, both of which characterize admitting an abelian realization. In particular, the authors classify series \(\alpha\) with the semisimple category \(\underline {\mathrm{DCob}}_{\alpha}\). \item[\S 4] reviews properties of the endomorphism ring of the one-circle object in categories \(\mathrm{SCob}_{\alpha}\) and \(\mathrm{Cob}_{\alpha}\). \item[\S 5] describes the structure of the gligible category \(\mathrm{Cob} _{\alpha}\) for the constant function (series \(\alpha=(\beta ,0,0,\dots)\)). Theorem 5.1 claims that the dimension of the state space \(A(n)\) of \(n\) circles for this function [\textit{M. Khovanov}, ``Universal construction of topological theories in two dimensions'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:2007.03361}] is the Catalin number, for \(\boldsymbol{k}\) of characteristic \(0\). A monoidal equivalence between the Karoubi envelope \(\underline{\mathrm{DCob}}_{\alpha} \) of \(\mathrm{Cob}_{\alpha}\), and a suitable category of finite-dimensional representations of the Lie superalgebra \(osp(1\mid2)\) is established in \S 5.5. \item[\S 6] consists of two sections. \S 6.1 investigates Gram determinants of a natural spanning set of surfaces for the function \(\beta/(1-\gamma T)\), where tensor envelopes correspond to the Deligne category [\textit{M. Khovanov} and \textit{R. Sazdanovic}, ``Bilinear pairings on two-dimensional cobordisms and generalizations of the Deligne category'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:2007.11640}]. These are rank one theories. \S 6.2 gives determinant computations for various rank two theories. \item[\S 7] considers the case of a polynomial generating function, beyond the constant function case studied in \S 5. When the function is linear, associated tensor envelopes can be expressed via the unoriented Brauer category and its gligible quotient, due to the presence of a commutative Frobenius object in the Brauer category with a linear generating function, as can be seen in \S 7.1. \S 7.2 provides numerical data for the Gram determinants in categories when the generating function is a polynomial of degree two or three. \S 7.3 considers arbitrary degree polynomials, where a conjectural basis in the state space of \(n\) circles for the theory is established, and some properties of the Gram determinant for the set of vectors is established. \item[\S 8] explains how to enrich category \(\mathrm{Cob}_{2}\) of two-dimensional oriented cobordisms by adding codimension two defects (dots). Presence of the handle cobordism allows of adding relations intertwining the handle cobordism with dot decorations. Going from less general to more general examples, dots may be viewed as fractional handles, elements of a commutative monoid, or elements of a commutative algebra. \end{itemize} The works [\textit{J. Flake} et al., ``Indecomposable objects in Khovanov-Sazdanovic's generalizations of Deligne's interpolation categories'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:2106.05798}; \textit{E. Meir}, ``Interpolations of monoidal categories and algebraic structures by invariant theory'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:2105.04622}] are related to this one.