2-tangles (Q1386540)

In the note under review, by semistrict braided monoidal \(2\)-categories are meant those defined by \textit{J. C. Baez} and \textit{M. Neuchl} [Adv. Math. 121, No. 2, 196-244 (1996; Zbl 0855.18008)], but satisfying certain extra axioms introduced by \textit{S. Crans} [Generalized centers of braided and sylleptic monoidal \(2\)-categories. To appear in Adv. Math.]. The note is in fact an announcement of a theorem claiming that the \(2\)-category of unframed unoriented \(2\)-tangles in four dimensions can be characterized as the ``free semistrict braided monoidal \(2\)-category with duals on one unframed self-dual object''. A proof using the movie moves of Carter, Rieger, and Saito is promised to be given in a forthcoming paper. The authors have hopes that there are interesting examples of semistrict braided monoidal \(2\)-categories. They comment on how the above mentioned characterization might be used to construct invariants of \(2\)-tangles in four dimensions.