Azumaya objects in triangulated bicategories (Q2255550)

Given a commutative ring \(R\), the Brauer group \(\mathrm{Br}(R)\) of \(R\) is the group of Morita equivalence classes of Azumaya \(R\)-algebras, with multiplication defined by the tensor product over \(R\) and inverse by taking the opposite algebra. This notion plays an important role in representation theory, and in algebraic geometry where Grothendieck introduced the more general notion of Brauer group \(\mathrm{Br}(X)\) of a scheme \(X\) and cohomological Brauer group \(\mathrm{Br}'(X)=H^2_{\mathrm{\'et}}(X,\mathbb{G}_m)_{tors}\) (the torsion subgroup of the second étale cohomology group of \(X\) with coefficients the multiplicative group \(\mathbb{G}_m\)). A critical problem was then to compare the Brauer group, abstract and not easily computable, to the cohomological Brauer group. They are not the same in general (there is only an inclusion \(\mathrm{Br}(X)\subset \mathrm{Br}'(X)\)) but coincide under additional assumptions on \(X\) (a result due to Gabber). Azumaya algebras naturally arise also in algebraic geometry when studying moduli spaces of vector bundles (e.g. as endomorphism algebras of twisted vector bundles). The notions of Azumaya algebra and Brauer group were generalized further in stable homotopy theory and derived algebraic geometry. In [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 216, No. 11, 2361--2376 (2012; Zbl 1345.55003)], \textit{A. Baker} et al. defined Azumaya algebras and Brauer groups of commutative \(S\)-algebras (where \(S\) is the sphere spectrum) in order to study Galois theoretic properties of structured ring spectra. In [Invent. Math. 167, No. 3, 615--667 (2007; Zbl 1118.18010)], \textit{B. Toen} introduced the notions of derived Azumaya algebra and derived Brauer group. He proved that the derived Brauer group \(\mathrm{dBr}(X)\) (the group of Morita equivalences of derived Azumaya algebras over \(X\)) of a quasi-compact and quasi-separated scheme \(X\) is isomorphic to \(H^1_{\mathrm{\'et}}(X,\mathbb{Z})\times H^2_{\text{ét}}(X,\mathbb{G}_m)\). In [Geom. Topol. 18, No. 2, 1149--1244 (2014; Zbl 1308.14021)], \textit{B. Antieau} and \textit{D. Gepner} proved a similar result in the setting of Lurie's derived algebraic geometry over ring spectra and applied the notion of Brauer sheaf to uniqueness results about the stable homotopy category. The goal of the present paper is to generalize and unify the theory of Azumaya algebras and Brauer groups above in a homotopical setting. For this, the author discusses Azumaya objects in closed autonomous symmetric monoidal bicategories and provides a characterization theorem of such objects. When the ambient bicategory is triangulated, he gives moreover a new characterization in terms of localization. The homotopical Brauer group is then defined as the group of \(1\)-cell equivalence classes of Azumaya objects. The author proves that his homotopical Brauer group agrees with the notions of Brauer groups introduced in [\textit{A. Baker} et al., J. Pure Appl. Algebra 216, No. 11, 2361--2376 (2012; Zbl 1345.55003)] and B. Toën [loc. cit.], and also proves that the derived Brauer group of a commutative ring in the sense of Toen agrees with the Brauer group of the corresponding Eilenberg-MacLane ring spectrum.