Cyclic objects from surfaces (Q6924358)

\textit{N. Reshetikhin} and \textit{V. G. Turaev} [Invent. Math. 103, No. 3, 547--597 (1991; Zbl 0725.57007)] gave a fundamental construction of a 3-dimensional TQFT, whose main algebraic ingredient is a modular category \(\mathcal{B}\), which is in particular \(\boldsymbol{k}\)-linear, braided and semisimple. The \(\boldsymbol{k}\)-module associated to a surface of genus \(n\) is isomorphic to \(\mathrm{Hom}_{\mathcal{B}}(\mathbb{F}^{\otimes n},\boldsymbol{1})\). By \(\boldsymbol{k}\)-linearity of \(\mathcal{B}\), the (co)cyclic set \(\left\{ \mathrm{Hom}_{\mathcal{B}}(\mathbb{F}^{\otimes n},\boldsymbol{1})\right\} _{n\in\boldsymbol{N}}\) forms in fact a (co)cyclic \(\boldsymbol{k}\)-module.\N\NThe main result of this paper (Theorems 4.1 and 7.1) settles affirmatively the question whether there is a (co)cyclic object in the category of 3-dimensional cobordisms, which is sent by the Reshetikhin-Turaev functor to the (co)cyclic \(\boldsymbol{k}\)-module \(\left\{ \mathrm{Hom}_{\mathcal{B}}(\mathbb{F}^{\otimes n},\boldsymbol{1})\right\} _{n\in\boldsymbol{N}}\). As a main corollary, any 3-dimensional TQFT induces a (co)cyclic \(\boldsymbol{k}\)-module.\N\NThe synopsis of the paper goes as follows:\N\N\begin{itemize}\N\item[\S 2] recalls the notion of a (co)cyclic object in a category.\N\N\item[\S 3] recalls some facts about 3-cobordisms and their presentation via special ribbon graphs.\N\N\item[\S 4] constructs (co)cyclic objects in the category of 3-dimensional cobordisms.\N\N\item[\S 5] reviews ribbon categories and their graphical calculus, braided Hopf algebras, and related concepts.\N\N\item[\S 6] is dedicated to (co)cyclic modules from the categorical (co)algebras.\N\N\item[\S 7] relates, via the Reshetikhin-Turaev TQFT, the (co)cyclic objects from surfaces with (co)cyclic modules associated to the coend of an anomaly free modular category.\N\N\item[\S 8] addresses paracyclic objects in the category of connected cobordisms.\N\end{itemize}