Extensions of covariantly finite subcategories (Q1039938)

Let \({\mathcal C}\) be an additive category and \({\mathcal X}\) a full additive subcategory of \({\mathcal C}\). A left \({\mathcal X}\)-approximation of an object \(M\) in \({\mathcal C}\) is a morphism \(x_M:M\rightarrow X_M\) for an object \(X_M\) of \({\mathcal X}\), so that any other morphism from \(M\) to an object in \({\mathcal X}\) factors through \(x_M\). The category \({\mathcal X}\) is said to be covariantly finite if every object in \({\mathcal C}\) has a left approximation. Given two full additive subcategories \({\mathcal X}\) and \({\mathcal Y}\) of the abelian category \({\mathcal C}\), let \({\mathcal X}*{\mathcal Y}\) be the full subcategory of \({\mathcal C}\) given by extensions of objects in \({\mathcal Y}\) by elements in \({\mathcal X}\) (i.e., elements in \(\text{Ext}^1({\mathcal Y},{\mathcal X}\)). Gentle and Todorov proved that if \({\mathcal C}\) has enough projective objects and both \({\mathcal X}\) and \({\mathcal Y}\) are covariantly finite, then \({\mathcal X}*{\mathcal Y}\) is also covariantly finite. The main result of the present paper is the proof that if \({\mathcal C}\) is triangulated and defining the extension in the natural way by triangles, then \({\mathcal X}\) and \({\mathcal Y}\) covariantly finite in \({\mathcal C}\) implies that \({\mathcal X}*{\mathcal Y}\) is covariantly finite in \({\mathcal C}\). The dual concept is called contravariantly finite, and if both conditions are verified, then the subcategory is called functorially finite. A Corollary with is a ten line proof is a result of Krause and Solberg that resolving contravariantly finite subcategories of \(A\)-\(mod\) is functorially finite.