Coquasi-bialgebras with preantipode and rigid monoidal categories (Q2048308)

If \({\mathcal C}\) is a \(k\)-linear, abelian category over a field \(k\) and \(\omega:{\mathcal C}\rightarrow kVect_{f}\) is a \(k\)-linear exact and faithful functor into the category of finite-dimensional vector spaces, \textit{N. Saavedra Rivano} proved in [Categories tannakiennes. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer-Verlag (1972; Zbl 0241.14008)] that there exists a \(k\)-coalgebra \(A\) such that the category \({\mathcal C}\) is \(k\)-linearly equivalent to the category of finite-dimensional right A-comodules. If we assume that is symmetric monoidal and rigid, it is possible to prove that A is a commutative Hopf algebra. Moreover, \textit{K. H. Ulbrich} proved in [Isr. J. Math. 72, No. 1--2, 252--256 (1990; Zbl 0727.16029)] that there is still a Hopf algebra structure on \(A\) if we remove the symmetry on the monoidal structure. \textit{S. Majid} [Contemp. Math. 134, 219--232 (1992; Zbl 0788.17012)] extended the result cited in the previous paragraph to coquasi-bialgebras in the following way: If \({\mathcal C} \) is an essentially small monoidal category endowed with a functor \(\omega:{\mathcal C} \rightarrow kVect_{f}\) that respects the tensor product in a suitable way, there is a coquasi-bialgebra \(H\) such that \(\omega\) factorizes through a monoidal functor \(\omega^{H}\) between the category \({\mathcal C}\) and the category of finite comodules over \(H\). Finally, all these results can be extended to categories of modules over a commutative ring \({\mathbb K}\). In the paper under review, the author proves that if the conditions of the result proved by Majid hold and the category \({\mathcal C}\) is rigid, then the associated coquasi-bialgebra admits a preantipode. If the ring is a field, this allows to characterize coquasi-Hopf algebras in terms of rigidity of finite-dimensional corepresentations. As a consequence, the authord find how to endow the finite dual coalgebra of a quasi-bialgebra with preantipode with a structure of coquasi-bialgebra with preantipode.