Higher differential objects in additive categories (Q2292844)

For an additive category \(\mathcal{C}\) and \(n\geq 2\), an \(n\)-differential object \((C, \epsilon_C)\) in \(\mathcal{C}\) consists of an object \(C\) in \(\mathcal{C}\) and an endomorphism \(\epsilon_C\) on \(C\) satisfying \(\epsilon_C^n=0\). These objects form an additive category \(\mathcal{C}[\epsilon]^n\). This generalizes the well-known notion of differential modules. Recently, the Gorenstein homological properties of differential modules are studied in [\textit{C. M. Ringel} and \textit{P. Zhang}, ibid. 475, 327--360 (2017; Zbl 1406.16010); \textit{J. Wei}, Proc. R. Soc. Edinb., Sect. A, Math. 145, No. 3, 639--655 (2015; Zbl 1352.16006)]. This paper studies the exact structures on \(\mathcal{C}[\epsilon]^n\), including the projective and injective objects. Moreover, the Gorenstein flat \(n\)-differential modules are investigated. If the category \(\mathcal{C}\) is abelian, the paper studies when the unbounded derived category of \(\mathcal{C}[\epsilon]^n\) is compactly generated. The idempotent completeness of the homotopy category of \(\mathcal{C}[\epsilon]^n\) and related recollements are studied. The key observation is that there is a natural Frobenius pair of functors between \(\mathcal{C}\) and \(\mathcal{C}[\epsilon]^n\).