On Morita weak equivalences of simplicial algebraic theories and operads (Q2332160)

Let \({\mathcal{C}}\) be a small category and consider the category of functors \(\mathrm{Sets}^{\mathcal{C}}\) as the category of representations of \({\mathcal{C}}\). Every functor \(f: {\mathcal{C}}\to {\mathcal{D}}\) between small categories induces an adjunction between the corresponding categories of representations \[ f_{!}: \mathrm{Sets}^{\mathcal{C}}\rightleftarrows \mathrm{Sets}^{\mathcal{D}}: f^\ast, \] where the right adjoint \(f^\ast\) is precomposition with \(f\). A classical result in category theory says that for every functor \(f: {\mathcal{C}}\to {\mathcal{D}}\), the adjunction \((f_!, f^\ast)\) is an equivalence of categories if and only if \(f\) is fully faithful and essentially surjective up to retracts. In [Ann. Math. Stud. 113, 180--205 (1987; Zbl 0706.55015)] \textit{W.G. Dwyer} and \textit{D.M. Kan} extended this characterization to the homotopical setting: Let \(f\) be a functor between small simplicial categories. Then the induced Quillen adjunction between the projective model structures \[ f_{!}: \mathrm{sSets}^{\mathcal{C}}\rightleftarrows \mathrm{sSets}^{\mathcal{D}}: f^\ast \] is a Quillen equivalence if and only if \(f\) is homotopically fully faithful and homotopically essentially surjective up to retracts. In this paper the authors extend the above results to the case of multi-sorted algebraic theories and coloured operads. Representations of algebraic theories are called algebras. Denote the category of algebras over an algebraic theory \({\mathcal{T}}\) by \(Alg({\mathcal{T}})\). Every morphism of algebraic theories \(f: {\mathcal{S}}\to {\mathcal{T}}\) induces an adjunction: \[ f_{!}: Alg({\mathcal{S}}) \rightleftarrows Alg({\mathcal{T}}): f^\ast. \] Let \(f\) be a morphism of multi-sorted algebraic theories in \(\mathrm{Sets}\). The authors prove that the induced adjunction \((f_!, f^\ast)\) is an equivalence of categories if and only if \(f\) is fully faithul and essentially surjective up to retracts. They also prove a corresponding result in the operadic case. In the homotopical setting the authors consider simplicial multi-sorted algebraic theories and simplicial operads and obtain generalizations of the result of Dwyer and Kan.