Algebraic models for higher categories (Q716491)

The paper under review deals with the homotopy hypothesis, which says, loosely speaking, that \(\infty\)-groupoids and topological spaces have the same homotopy theory: More precisely, there is an equivalence of \((\infty,1)\)-categories between the two. It is a classic fact that Kan complexes -- simplicial sets which are fibrant in the Quillen model structure -- are a model for \(\infty\)-groupoids. However, the category of Kan complexes is not cocomplete, nor is it locally presentable. Moreover, Kan complexes do not have compositions of morphisms as one would expect in an \(\infty\)-groupoid, but rather compositions up to homotopy. The main result of the paper is a model for \(\infty\)-groupoids, called ``algebraic Kan complexes'', which overcomes those problems. The category of algebraic Kan complexes is complete and cocomplete, locally presentable, and admits a model structure with a direct Quillen equivalence to topological spaces. Moreover, when viewed as an \(\infty\)-groupoid, an algebraic Kan complex comes with actual compositions of morphisms, not merely up to homotopy. In fact, that is the key idea of the construction: an algebraic Kan complex is a Kan complex equipped with distinguished horn fillers. The core of the paper is section 2, containing a generalization of the above construction. Start with a model category \(C\) satisfying: (1) \(C\) is cofibrantly generated and (2) all trivial cofibrations in \(C\) are monic. The author constructs the category \(AlgC\) of algebraic fibrant objects in \(C\), defined as fibrant objects of \(C\) equipped with distinguished fillers. Various properties of \(AlgC\) are proved, notably that \(AlgC\) is monadic over \(C\), that \(AlgC\) is complete and cocomplete if \(C\) is, and \(AlgC\) is locally presentable if \(C\) is. The author then produces a model structure on \(AlgC\) where weak equivalences and fibrations are as in the underlying model category \(C\). It is shown that \(AlgC\) is Quillen equivalent to \(C\), and all objects of \(AlgC\) are fibrant. Moreover, \(AlgC\) is combinatorial if \(C\) is. Section 3 applies the construction to simplicial sets with the Quillen model structure, yielding algebraic Kan complexes, which model \(\infty\)-groupoids. The homotopy hypothesis for algebraic Kan complexes is proved. Section 4 applies the construction to simplicial sets with the Joyal model structure, yielding algebraic quasi-categories, which model \((\infty,1)\)-categories. From the general construction, one obtains sets of generating cofibrations and trivial cofibrations for algebraic quasi-categories. Section 5 sketches possible further applications.