On a fat small object argument (Q2445953)

Quillen's small object argument [\textit{D. G. Quillen}, Homotopical algebra. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer-Verlag (1967; Zbl 0168.20903)] is the main tool for the construction of functorial (weak) factorizations in model categories. A more recent standard reference is section 10.5 in [\textit{P. S. Hirschhorn}, Model categories and their localizations. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society (AMS) (2003; Zbl 1017.55001)]. The left part of this factorization is constructed to be a transfinite composite of maps. Combinatorial categories are locally presentable categories equipped with a cofibrantly generated weak factorization system. A locally presentable category is locally \(\kappa\)-presentable for some regular cardinal \(\kappa\). The main result in the paper under review (Theorem 4.11) asserts that any cofibrant object in a \(\kappa\)-combinatorial model category is a \(\kappa\)-directed colimit of \(\kappa\)-presentable cofibrant objects. The authors' proof is based in the concept of good colimit. Good colimits generalize transfinite composites and were introduced in [\textit{J. Lurie}, Higher topos theory. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press (2009; Zbl 1175.18001)]. The authors shows how to convert a transfinite composite (``thin and long'', in their words) into a good composite (``fat and short compositions''), and this is why they call their result ``a fat small object argument''.