Discreteness and completeness for \(\Theta_n\)-models of \((\infty, n)\)-categories (Q6151631)

This paper aims to put model structures on certain categories of functors in such a way that the objects that are both fibrant and cofibrant give models for \(\left( \infty,n\right) \)-categories. These models can be thought of as generalizations of Segal categories [\textit{A. Hirschowitz} and \textit{C. Simpson}, ``Descente pour les n-champs (Descent for n-stacks)'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:math/9807049}; \textit{R. Pellissier}, ``Weak enriched categories - Categories enrichies faibles'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:math/0308246}] in the framework of \(\Theta_{n}\)-diagrams [\textit{C. Berger}, Adv. Math. 213, No. 1, 230--270 (2007; Zbl 1127.18008); \textit{C. Rezk}, Geom. Topol. 14, No. 1, 521--571 (2010; Zbl 1203.18015); Geom. Topol. 14, No. 4, 2301--2304 (2010; Zbl 1203.18016)]. The synopsis of the paper goes as follows. \begin{itemize} \item[\S 2] gives a brief review of some of the model category tools. \item[\S 3] recalls the complete Segal space and Segal category models for \(\left( \infty,1\right) \)-categories. All the models for \(\left( \infty,n\right) \)-categories developed in this paper are to be regarded as suitable generalizations of one, or both, of these models. \item[\S 4] reviews the definition of \(\Theta_{n}\)-spaces [\textit{C. Berger}, Adv. Math. 213, No. 1, 230--270 (2007; Zbl 1127.18008); \textit{C. Rezk}, Geom. Topol. 14, No. 1, 521--571 (2010; Zbl 1203.18015); Geom. Topol. 14, No. 4, 2301--2304 (2010; Zbl 1203.18016)] serving as a model for higher-categorical complete Segal spaces. Some of the key constructions are summarized. \item[\S 5] gives a brief review of the fact that \(\Theta_{n}\)-spaces are suitably equivalent to categories enriched in \(\Theta_{n-1}\)-spaces, which is fulfilled via the structure of a complete Segal object in \(\Theta_{n-1}\)-spaces [\textit{J. E. Bergner} and \textit{C. Rezk}, Geom. Topol. 17, No. 4, 2163--2202 (2013; Zbl 1273.18031); J. Topol. 13, No. 4, 1554--1581 (2020; Zbl 1461.18017)]. \item[\S 6] aims to understand Dwyer-Kan equivalences in \(\Theta_{n}\)-spaces. \item[\S 7] considers functors \(\mathcal{C}\rightarrow\mathcal{SS}ets\) for some small category \(\mathcal{C}\), requiring the images of some specified object of \(\mathcal{C}\) to be discrete. \item[\S 8] turns to the question of having models for \(\left( \infty ,n\right) \)-categories given by functor \(\Theta_{n}^{\mathrm{op}} \rightarrow\mathcal{SS}ets\) abiding by some discreteness conditions, giving a model structure on the category of \(\Theta_{n}\)-diagrams with certain objects discrete. \item[\S 9] establishes the comparison between these models and Rezk's original \(\Theta_{n}\)-space model. The strategy of proof is akin to the comparison between the model structure for Segal categories and complete Segal spaces in [\textit{J. E. Bergner}, Topology 46, No. 4, 397--436 (2007; Zbl 1119.55010), \S 6]. \item[\S 10] completes the proof of Proposition 8.8 claiming that maps with the right lifting property with respect to \ are precisely the maps that are both fibrations and Dwyer-Kan equivalence. \end{itemize}