Galois coverings, Morita equivalence and smash extensions of categories over a field. (Q2488590)

Let \(k\) be a field, let \(\mathcal C\) be a \(k\)-category and let \(H\) be a Hopf algebra. The authors introduce the smash category \({\mathcal C}\#H\) of an \(H\)-module category \(\mathcal C\) and they study the case of groups. If \(\mathcal C\) is a \(G\)-graded category, then it is a \(k^G=(kG)^*\)-module category and we can construct \({\mathcal C}\#k^G\), where \(k^G\) is the function algebra. This category is compared with a preceding construction, \({\mathcal C}\#G\), of \textit{C. Cibils} and \textit{E. N. Marcos} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 134, No. 1, 39-50 (2006; Zbl 1098.18002)], both \(k\)-categories have module categories equivalent. For a \(k\)-category \(\mathcal C\) and any partition \(E\) of the set of objects by finite subsets a new category \({\mathcal C}_E\) is obtained, the contraction of \(\mathcal C\) along \(E\). The objects of \({\mathcal C}_E\) are the set of partitions while morphisms are provided by the direct sum of all morphism spaces involved between two sets of the partition. There is a natural inverse operation, the expansion. It is shown that the \(\mathcal C\) and \({\mathcal C}_E\) have module categories Morita equivalent. Moreover, if \(\mathcal C\) and \(\mathcal D\) have equivalent module categories, then \(\mathcal D\) is obtained from \(\mathcal C\) by contractions and expansions. Another construction of categories, the inflated category, is considered. In the appendix, these constructions are related with the idempotent completion (Karoubianisation) and the additive completion. A smash extension of an \(H\)-module category \(\mathcal C\) is the natural functor from \(\mathcal C\) to \({\mathcal C}\#H\). In Section 4, the authors relate \(kG\)-smash extension and Galois covering for a finite group \(G\). Given a Galois covering, a smash extension is constructed and the two associated \(k\)-categories have equivalent module categories. Conversely, a Galois covering is associated to any smash extension of categories with a finite group \(G\). These two theories, smash extensions and Galois covering with respect to a finite group, are Morita equivalent.