Braidings on the category of bimodules, Azumaya algebras and epimorphisms of rings. (Q2015816)

Let \(\mathcal C\) be a monoidal category and \(\tau\colon\mathcal C\times\mathcal C\to\mathcal C\times\mathcal C\) the flip functor. A prebraiding on \(\mathcal C\) is a natural transformation \(c\colon\otimes\to\otimes\circ\tau\) such that for all \(U,V,W\in\mathcal C\), \(c_{U,V\otimes W}=(V\otimes c_{U,W})\circ(c_{U,V\otimes W})\); \(c_{U\otimes V,W}=(c_{U,W}\otimes V)\circ(U\otimes c_{V,W})\), \(c\) is called a braiding if it is a natural isomorphism, and \(c\) is called a symmetry if \(c_{U,V}^{-1}=c_{V,U}\) for all \(U,V,\in\mathcal C\). Let \(A\) be an algebra over a commutative ring \(k\) and \(A^{(n)}\) the \(n\)-fold tensor product of \(A\) over \(k\). Then for an element \(R\) (\(=R^1\otimes R^2\otimes R^3\in A^{(3)})\), there is a bijective correspondence between the class of all braidings \(c\) on \(_A\mathcal M_A\) and the set of all invertible elements \(R\) such that for all \(a\in A\), \(R^1\otimes R^2\otimes aR^3=R^1a\otimes R^2\otimes R^3\), \(aR^1\otimes R^2\otimes R^3=R^1\otimes R^2a\otimes R^3\), \(R^1\otimes aR^2\otimes R^3=R^1\otimes R^2\otimes R^3a\), \(R^1\otimes R^2\otimes 1\otimes R^3=r^1R^1\otimes r^2\otimes r^3R^2\otimes R^3\), \(R^1\otimes 1\otimes R^2\otimes R^3=R^1\otimes R^2r^1\otimes r^2\otimes R^3r^3\), where \(r=r^1\otimes r^2\otimes r^3=R\). Under the above correspondence the braiding \(c\) corresponding to \(R\) is given by \(c_{M,N}\colon M\otimes_AN\to N\otimes_AM\), \(c_{M,N}(m\otimes_An)=R^1nR^2\otimes_AmR^3\) for all \(M,N\in{_A\mathcal M}_A\), \(m\in M\) and \(n\in N\). An invertible \(R\in A^{(3)}\) satisfying the above first five equations on \(R\) is called a canonical \(R\)-matrix and \((A,R)\) is called an algebra with a canonical \(R\)-matrix. It is shown that every braiding on \(_A\mathcal M_A\) is a symmetry, and equivalent conditions are given for the existence of a braiding on \(_A\mathcal M_A\). Thus \(A\) is a central simple algebra if and only if there exists a (unique) braiding on \(_A\mathcal M_A\), and if \(A\) is an Azumaya algebra then there is a symmetry on \(_A\mathcal M_A\). Moreover, canonical \(R\)-matrices can be applied to deform the switch map into a simultaneous solution of the quantum Yang-Baxter equation and the braid equation.