A full and faithful nerve for 2-categories (Q816647)

The nerve of an \(n\)-category was defined by the reviewer [\textit{R. Street}, J. Pure Appl. Algebra 49, 283--335 (1987; Zbl 0661.18005)]. When considered as a functor from the category of 2-categories and lax functors to the category of simplicial sets, this nerve is fully faithful. Lax natural transformations between lax functors yield homotopies. Using this, the authors prove a representation theorem for the general non-abelian cohomology of groupoids by means of homotopy classes of simplicial maps; this cohomology classifies non-abelian extensions of groupoids.