Comprehensive factorization and \(I\)-central extensions (Q418914)

Central extensions relative to a reflection \(I:\mathcal D\rightarrow \mathcal C\) of a Barr exact category \(\mathcal C\) into an admissible subcategory \(\mathcal D\) were studied by \textit{G. Janelidze} and \textit{G. M. Kelly} [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 97, No. 2, 135--161 (1994; Zbl 0813.18001)] and \textit{M. Gran} [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 155, No. 2--3, 139--166 (2001; Zbl 0974.18007)]. The first of these did give sufficient conditions for the existence of a reflection functor from \(\mathcal C\) into the full subcategory of \(I\)-central extensions. The present paper gives a simple, direct and more general construction of this reflection using the comprehensive factorization of \textit{R. F. C. Walters} and the reviewer [Bull. Am. Math. Soc. 79, 936--941 (1973; Zbl 0274.18001)]; also see [\textit{R. Street} and \textit{D. Verity}, Theory Appl. Categ. 23, 42--75 (2010; Zbl 1315.18014)]. Some known results on Mal'tsev categories are reproved using this result.