Actads

DOI10.1007/S11425-021-1902-3MaRDI QIDQ2169098zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Publication date 29 August 2022

Published in Science China. Mathematics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/2108.08413

actads infinite loop spaces operads ordinals universal algebra

Recursive ordinals and ordinal notations (03F15) Operads (general) (18M60) Higher categories and homotopical algebra (18N99) Infinite loop spaces (55P47)

Abstract: In this paper, I introduce a new generalization of the concept of an operad, further generalizing the concept of an opetope introduced by Baez and Dolan, who used this for the definition of their version of non-strict

n

-categories. Opetopes arise from iterating a certain construction on operads called the

+

-construction, starting with monoids. The first step gives rise to plain operads, i.e. operads without symmetries. The permutation axiom in a symmetric operad, however, is an additional structure resulting from permutation of variables, independent of the structure of a monoid. Even though we can apply the

+

-construction to symmetric operads, there is the possibility of introducing a completely different kind of permutations on the higher levels by again permuting variables without regard to the structure on the previous levels. Defining and investigating these structures is the main purpose of this paper. The structures obtained in this way is what I call

n

-actads. In

n

-actads with

n > 1

, the permutations on the different levels give rise to a certain special kind of

n

-fold category. I also explore the concept of iterated algebras over an

n

-actad (generalizing an algebra and module over an operad), and various types of iterated units. I give some examples of algebras over

2

-actads, and show how they can be used to construct certain new interesting homotopy types of operads. I also discuss a connection between actads and ordinal notation.

Review text

Having been coined by \textit{J. P. May} [The geometry of iterated loop spaces. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer-Verlag (1972; Zbl 0244.55009)], operads are a central concept of modern algebraic topology. \textit{J. C. Baez} and \textit{J. Dolan} [Adv. Math. 135, No. 2, 145--206 (1998; Zbl 0909.18006)] introduced the \(+\)-construction to pass from monoids to plain operads and, via iteration, to opetopes. Opetopes do not explain how symmetric operads arise from monoids. While the \(+\)-construction can be applied to symmetric operads, there is an additional possibility of introducing permutations on each higher level by permuting variables without regard to the structures on the previous levels. This paper aims to explore the interplay of these permutations, the resulting structure being called \textit{actads}. The actads are indexed so that monoids are \(0\)-actads and operads are \(1\)-actads. A \(3\)-base is visualized as a tree drawn in the way that, in the place of each node of a tree, one puts a triangle whose vertex is the node, and whose base contains the successor nodes, where each triangle can be recursively subdivided into a tree in a similar fashion. In \(n\)-actads with \(n>1\), the permutations on the different levels give rise to a certain special kind of \(n\)-fold category. The concept of iterated algebras over an \(n\)-actad and various types of iterated units are investigated. Some examples of algebras over \(2\)-actads are given, being shown to be used to construct certain new interesting homotopy types of operads. A connection between actads and ordinal notation is also discussed.

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Moment categories and operads

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