Yoneda theory for double categories (Q2884466)

The Yoneda lemma is an important tool of category theory. Given a functor \(F:A\rightarrow{\mathcal Set}\) and an \({\mathcal A}\)-object \(A\), it provides a bijective correspondence between the sets \(\text{Nat}(\text{hom}(A,-),F)\) (natural transformations) and \(FA\). Additionally, it induces the so-called Yoneda embedding \(Y:{\mathcal A}\rightarrow\text{Fun}(\mathcal A^{\mathrm{op}},{\mathcal Set})\) (functors), which is full. The latter embedding, in its turn, helps to show that every functor \(F:{\mathcal A}^{\mathrm{op}}\rightarrow{\mathcal Set}\) with small domain is a colimit of representable functors [\textit{F. Borceux}, Handbook of categorical algebra. Volume 1: Basic category theory. Encyclopedia of mathematics and its applications. 50. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (1994; Zbl 0803.18001)].NEWLINENEWLINE The manuscript under review lifts the above three results to the setting of double categories. Going back to \textit{C. Ehresmann} [Catégories et structures. Département de mathématiques pures et appliquées. Coll. Travaux et recherches mathématiques. 10. Paris: Dunod (1965; Zbl 0192.09803)], the latter structures extend the notion of category with two-sorted (horizontal and vertical) arrows and also cells, all of which could be composed, the compositions in question satisfying additionally certain interchange conditions. Double categories have gained in interest recently, partially due to a series of papers of the current author [\textit{R. Dawson} and the author, ``General associativity and general composition for double categories'', Cah. Topologie Géom. Différ. Catég. 34, No. 1, 57--79 (1993; Zbl 0778.18005)], [\textit{M. Grandis} and the author, ``Limits in double categories'', Cah. Topologie Géom. Différ. Catég. 40, No. 3, 162--220 (1999; Zbl 0939.18007); ``Adjoint for double categories'', Cah. Topol. Géom. Différ. Catég. 45, No. 3, 193--240 (2004; Zbl 1063.18002)].NEWLINENEWLINE Motivated by some of these previous results, in the first step, he presents a double analogue \(\mathbb{S}et\) of the category \({\mathcal Set}\) of sets, in which vertical morphisms are spans, and then constructs its respective Hom-functor \(\mathbb A^{\mathrm{op}}\times\mathbb{A}\rightarrow\mathbb{S}et\) for a double category \(\mathbb A\), arriving thereby at the first generalization of the Yoneda lemma (Theorem 2.3 on page 449). This generalization is involved then to provide the (well-known in the classical case) Hom-version of adjunctions on double categories (Theorem 2.8 on page 455).NEWLINENEWLINE In the second step, the author defines partially (no vertical composition) the double category \(\mathbb{L}ax(\mathbb{A}^{\mathrm{op}},\mathbb{S}et)\) (lax functors as horizontal arrows), employing the concepts of module (vertical arrows) and modulation (cells) of \textit{J. R. B. Cockett} et al. [``Modules'', Theory Appl. Categ. 11, 375--396 (2003; Zbl 1035.18003)], thereby reaching the second generalization of the Yoneda lemma, which deals with vertical arrows (Theorem 3.18 on page 476).NEWLINENEWLINE Involving the notion of virtual double category of \textit{G. S. H. Cruttwell} and \textit{M. A. Shulman} [``A unified framework for generalized multicategories'', Theory Appl. Categ. 24, 580--655 (2010; Zbl 1220.18003)], in the third step, the author shows that \(\mathbb{L}ax(\mathbb A^{\mathrm{op}},\mathbb{S}et)\) is a virtual double category (providing the missing composition of vertical arrows), thus getting the generalized Yoneda embedding \(Y:\mathbb A\rightarrow\mathbb{L}ax(\mathbb A^{\mathrm{op}},\mathbb{S}et)\) (Theorem 4.8 on page 486), which is full and faithful on horizontal arrows, and which is not full on vertical arrows. In the last step, the author proves that every lax functor \(F:\mathbb A^{\mathrm{op}}\rightarrow\mathbb{S}et\) is a colimit of representable functors (Theorem 4.10 on page 487).NEWLINENEWLINE The paper is well-written (almost no typos), conveniently self-contained, and easy to follow (some proofs are lengthy, but still digestible), and will certainly be of interest to the readers working in the realm of double categories.