Preantipodes for dual quasi-bialgebras. (Q1932661)

Let \(H\) be a dual quasi-bialgebra. Recall that this means that \(H\) is a coassociative coalgebra, and that there is also a multiplication on \(H\) that is not associative in general. Then we can consider the category of left \(H\)-comodules \(^H\mathcal M\), but not the category of left \(H\)-modules (since the multiplication is not associative). It still makes sense to consider the category \(^H\mathcal M^H_H\) of right dual quasi-Hopf \(H\)-bicomodules. We have an adjunction between \(^H\mathcal M\) and \(^H\mathcal M^H_H\), and it is known that this establishes a pair of inverse equivalences if \(H\) is a dual quasi-Hopf algebra. In the present paper, the converse property is studied. The notion of preantipode for a dual quasi-bialgebra is introduced, and it is shown that the above adjunction is a pair of inverse equivalences if and only if there exists a preantipode. Also a direct proof is given of the fact that the existence of an antipode implies the existence of a preantipode.