Generalized 2-vector spaces and general linear 2-groups

Abstract: In this paper a notion of {it generalized 2-vector space} is introduced which includes Kapranov and Voevodsky 2-vector spaces. Various kinds of generalized 2-vector spaces are considered and examples are given. The existence of non free generalized 2-vector spaces and of generalized 2-vector spaces which are non Karoubian (hence, non abelian) categories is discussed, and it is shown how any generalized 2-vector space can be identified with a full subcategory of an (abelian) functor category with values in the category

of (possibly infinite dimensional) vector spaces. The corresponding general linear 2-groups

are considered. Specifically, it is shown that

always contains as a (non full) sub-2-group the 2-group

{s f E q u i v}_{C a t} (m a t h c a l C)

(hence, for finite categories

m a t h c a l C

, they contain {sl Weyl sub-2-groups} analogous to usual Weyl subgroups of the general linear groups), and

is explicitly computed (up to equivalence) in a special case of generalized 2-vector spaces which include those of Kapranov and Voevodsky. Finally, other important drawbacks of the notion of generalized 2-vector space, besides the fact that it is in general a non Karoubian category, are also mentioned at the end of the paper.

Review text

A notion of 2-vector space over a field \(K\) was introduced by \textit{M. M. Kapranov} and \textit{V. A. Voevodsky} [Proc. Symp. Pure Math. 56, Pt. 2, 177--259 (1994; Zbl 0809.18006)] and it was used by the author [\textit{J. Elgueta}, Adv. Math. 213, No. 1, 53--92 (2007; Zbl 1118.18003)] to study representation theory of 2-groups (also called categorical groups) as self-equivalences of a 2-vector space. This study seems good enough only in restricted cases ((pro)finite or discrete 2-groups) and, to solve this trouble, the author introduces in this paper a generalization of the notion of 2-vector space given by Kapranov and Voevodsky. A generalized 2-vector space over \(K\) is a \(K\)-linear additive category \(\mathbb{V}\) which is \(K\)-linearly equivalent to the free \(K\)-linear additive category \({\mathcal V}ect_K[\mathcal{C}]\) generated by some category \(\mathcal{C}\). This notion provides a natural analog of the group algebra \(K[G]\) since the 2-vector space \({\mathcal V}ect_K[{\mathbb G}]\) spanned by any 2-group \({\mathbb G}\) inherits a 2-algebra structure and then, its objects can be thought as analogs of the usual group algebras. Moreover, generalized 2-vector spaces have more interesting 2-groups of self-equivalences than Kapranov-Voevodsky and this makes the corresponding representation theory more interesting. For instance, if \(\mathcal{G}\) is a special kind of groupoid, the general linear group \(\mathbb{G}\mathbb{L}({\mathcal V}ect_K[\mathcal{G}])\) of self-equivalences of the 2-vector space \({\mathcal V}ect_K[\mathcal{G}]\) is explicitly computed.

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