Generalized stability for abstract homotopy theories (Q2045747)

This paper is part of an on-going project making an abstract study of stability, following on from [\textit{M. Groth}, Algebr. Geom. Topol. 13, No. 1, 313--374 (2013; Zbl 1266.55009); Theory Appl. Categ. 33, 350--389 (2018; Zbl 1394.55014); \textit{M. Groth} et al., Homology Homotopy Appl. 16, No. 1, 265--294 (2014; Zbl 1305.55011)]. This is carried out in the context of derivators, giving a setting for abstract homotopy theory where the machinery of homotopy limits, colimits, and Kan extensions is available. Examples are given by derivators of unbounded chain complexes in Grothendieck abelian categories and homotopy derivators of stable model categories or stable \(\infty\)-categories. A motivating question discussed in the introduction is for which exactness properties is it true that if one imposes these properties on the homotopy theory of spaces in a universal way then the outcome is the homotopy theory of spectra? A derivator is by definition stable if it admits a zero object and if the classes of pullback squares and pushout squares coincide. After summarizing previously established characterizations of stability, the paper establishes several new characterizations in terms of commuting of certain (co)limits and other constructions. In particular, they show that a derivator is stable if and only if homotopy finite limits and homotopy finite colimits commute, if and only if left homotopy finite left Kan extensions commute with arbitrary right Kan extensions (and similarly for the dual statement). This leads to the authors' first answer to the motivating question: the homotopy theory of spectra is obtained from that of spaces if one forces homotopy finite limits and homotopy finite colimits to commute in a universal way. The characterizations of stability in terms of Kan extensions lead to a natural generalization, an abstract notion of stability relative to a class of functors. Special cases of the relative notion give pointedness, semiadditivity, and ordinary stability. To facilitate the study of relative stability, enriched derivators and notions of weighted homotopy limits and colimits are developed, building on work on monoidal derivators of [\textit{M. Groth} et al., J. \(K\)-Theory 14, No. 3, 422--494 (2014; Zbl 1349.18015); \textit{K. Ponto} and \textit{M. Shulman}, Theory Appl. Categ. 31, 594--689 (2016; Zbl 1354.18006)]. Analogues of the characterizations of stability are established for the relative case. The insights offered by this lead to the authors' second answer to the motivating question: the homotopy theory of spectra is obtained from that of spaces by universally forcing homotopy finite limits to be weighted colimits, and dually.