Orbifold completion of 3-categories
This paper develops a general theory of 3-dimensional orbifold completion to describe (generalized) orbifolds of topological quantum field theories (TQFTs) as well as their defects. The authors' original motivation for 3-dimensional orbifold completion was to construct 4-dimensional state sum models from first principles, and re-direct the 4-dimensional invariants of \textit{C. L. Douglas} and \textit{D. J. Reutter} [``Fusion 2-categories and a state-sum invariant for 4-manifolds, Preprint, \url{arXiv:1812.11933}].\N\NThe synopsis of the paper goes as follows:\N\N\begin{itemize}\N\item[\S 2] collects some background on 2- and 3-categories with adjoints and the graphical calculus. \S 2.1 reviews pivotal 2-categories \(\mathcal{B}\) as well as their orbifold completions, i.e., the representation theory of -separable symmetric Frobenius algebras internal to \(\mathcal{B}\). \S 2.2 discusses a semistrict version of 3-categories with compatible adjoints, namely, the Gray categories with duals [\textit{J. W. Barrett} et al., Adv. Math. 450, Article ID 109740, 129 p. (2024; Zbl 1540.18020)], recalling some of the coherence results on these structures.\N\N\item[\S 3] defines a new 3-category \(\mathcal{E}(\mathcal{T})\) with \(\mathcal{T}\) a 3-category whose all Hom 2-categories admit finite sifted 2-colimits commuting with composition. The 3-category \(\mathcal{E}(\mathcal{T})\) is locally a version of the 3-category \(\mathrm{Alg}_{1}(\mathcal{B})\) of \(E_{1}\)-algebras in a monoidal 2-category [\textit{T. Johnson-Freyd} and \textit{C. Scheimbauer}, Adv. Math. 307, 147--223 (2017; Zbl 1375.18043)] in the sense that if \(\mathcal{T}\) \ has a single object \(\ast\), then\N\[\N\mathcal{E}\left( \mathcal{T}\right) =\mathrm{Alg}_{1}\left( \ast ,\ast\right)\N\]\N\N\item[\S 4] introduces a categorification of the 2-dimensional orbifold completion of [\textit{N. Carqueville} and \textit{I. Runkel}, Quantum Topol. 7, No. 2, 203--279 (2016; Zbl 1360.18007)]. \S 4.1 starts out with a Gray category with duals \(\mathcal{T}\) subject to a mild finiteness condition, constructing a 3-category \(\mathcal{T}_{\mathrm{orb}}\) as a subcategory of the 3-category \(\mathcal{E}(\mathcal{T})\) of the previous section. \S 4.2 provides the main theorem of the paper. \S 4.2.1 establishes that 1- and 2-morphisms in \(\mathcal{T}_{\mathrm{orb}}\) have compatible adjoints, while \S 4.2.2 identifies a universal property for 2-dimensional orbifold completion, outlining its generalization to arbitrary dimensions. The main ingredients of the proof are a description of the composition of 1-morphisms in terms of the splitting of a condensation of all adjoints. The verification of coherence axioms is considerably facilitated by the graphical calculus of [\textit{J. W. Barrett} et al., Adv. Math. 450, Article ID 109740, 129 p. (2024; Zbl 1540.18020)] as part of a closed orbifold TQFT. A key idea, in part inspired by [\textit{N. Carqueville} and \textit{I. Runkel}, Quantum Topol. 7, No. 2, 203--279 (2016; Zbl 1360.18007); \textit{N. Carqueville} et al., Theory Appl. Categ. 35, 513--561 (2020; Zbl 1440.57016); \textit{D. Gaiotto} and \textit{T. Johnson-Freyd}, ``Condensations in higher categories, Preprint, \url{arXiv:1905.09566}], is that the \(n\)-dimensional state sum model with defects \(\mathcal{Z}_{n}^{\mathrm{ss}}\) for some rigid symmetric monoidal target category \(\mathcal{C}\) can be constructed by iterative orbifold completions.\N\N\item[\S 5] investigates some natural examples of 3-dimensional orbifold completion, showing how they relate to the existing literature. \S 5.1 studies the delooping of 2-dimensional state sum models described by the pivotal 2-category of separable symmetric Frobenius algebaras \(\mathrm{ssFrob}\). \S 5.2 turns to an example involving modular fusion categories, establishing (Theorem 5.18) that\N\NTheorem. The 3-category \ of spherical fusion categories, bimodule categories with trace, bimodule functors, and bimodule natural transformations defined in [\textit{G. Schaumann}, J. Algebra 379, 382--425 (2013; Zbl 1291.18011)] is a subcategory of \((\mathrm{CYcat}^{\mathrm{s}})_{\mathrm{orb}}\).\N\N\item[\S 6] constructs a new defect TQFTs from old ones by using the 3-dimensional orbifold completion. \S 6.1 reminds the reader of the 3-dimensional defect TQFTs\ and their associated 3-categories. \S 6.2 applies orbifold completion to the latter, recovering defect state sum models and defects in Reshetikhin-Turaev theory as special cases, establishing (Theorem 6.4) that\N\NTheorem. Let\N\[\N\mathcal{Z}:\mathrm{Bord}_{3,2}^{\mathrm{def}}(\mathbb{D}) \rightarrow\mathrm{Vect}\N\]\Nbe a defect TQFT. The orbifold construction gives a defect TQFT\N\[\N\mathcal{Z}_{\mathrm{orb}}:\mathrm{Bord}_{3,2}^{\mathrm{def}}\left( \mathbb{D}_{\mathrm{orb}}\right) \rightarrow\mathrm{Vect}\N\]\N\item[Appendix] recalls some definitions related to 2-colimits relevant for the main part of the paper.\N\end{itemize}
- (Op)lax natural transformations, twisted quantum field theories, and ``even higher Morita categories
- 2-Dimensional Categories
- 3-dimensional defect TQFTs and their tricategories
- An equivalence between semisimple symmetric Frobenius algebras and Calabi-Yau categories
- Bicategories for boundary conditions and for surface defects in 3-d TFT
- Coherence for tricategories
- Coherence in Three-Dimensional Category Theory
- Constructing modular categories from orbifold data
- Discrete torsion defects
- Domain walls between 3d phases of Reshetikhin-Turaev TQFTs
- Dualizable tensor categories
- Fibonacci-type orbifold data in Ising modular categories
- Field theories with defects and the centre functor
- Frobenius monads and pseudomonoids
- Invertible braided tensor categories
- Lecture notes on two-dimensional defect TQFT
- Line and surface defects in Reshetikhin-Turaev TQFT
- Multifusion categories and finite semisimple 2-categories
- On dualizability of braided tensor categories
- On the Classification of Topological Field Theories
- Orbifold completion of defect bicategories
- Orbifold equivalence: structure and new examples
- Orbifold equivalent potentials
- Orbifolds of \(n\)-dimensional defect TQFTs
- Orbifolds of Reshetikhin-Turaev TQFTs
- Quantum invariants of knots and 3-manifolds
- Reshetikhin-Turaev TQFTs close under generalised orbifolds
- Rigid and separable algebras in fusion 2-categories
- Strangely dual orbifold equivalence. I
- Surface operators in 3d Topological Field Theory and 2d Rational Conformal Field Theory
- The Morita theory of fusion 2-categories
- The quantum Euler class and the quantum cohomology of the Grassmannians
- Topological quantum field theories
- Traces on module categories over fusion categories
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