Obstructions to coherence: Natural noncoherent associativity

DOI10.1016/S0022-4049(98)00138-8MaRDI QIDQ1973365zbMATH OpenWikidataFDO

Authors Noson S. Yanofsky

Publication date 22 November 2001

Published in Journal of Pure and Applied Algebra (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/math/9804106

zbMATH Keywords

2-sketchassociative categoriesCatalan groupoidsfundamental groups of simplicial complexeshomotopy associativitynoncoherenceoperad

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Special polytopes (linear programming, centrally symmetric, etc.) (52B12) Software, source code, etc. for problems pertaining to algebraic topology (55-04) Loop space machines and operads in algebraic topology (55P48) Simplicial sets and complexes in algebraic topology (55U10) Hopf algebras (aspects of homology and homotopy of topological groups) (57T05)

Abstract: We study what happens when coherence fails. Categories with a tensor product and a natural associativity isomorphism that does not necessarily satisfy the pentagon coherence requirements (called associative categories) are considered. Categorical versions of associahedra where naturality squares commute and pentagons do not, are constructed (called Catalan groupoids, $An$). These groupoids are used in the construction of the free associative category. They are also used in the construction of the theory of associative categories (given as a 2-sketch). Generators and relations are given for the fundamental group, $pi(An)$, of the Catalan groupoids -- thought of as a simplicial complex. These groups are shown to be more than just free groups. Each associative category, $B$, has related fundamental groups $$ and homomorphisms $$. If the images of the $pi(P_n)$ are trivial, i.e. there is only one associativity path between any two objects, then the category is coherent. Otherwise the images of $pi(P_n)$ are obstructions to coherence. Some progress is made in classifying noncoherence of associative categories.

Review text

The author starts with the definition of associative categories. These are categories with a tensor product \(\otimes\) and a natural associativity which does not necessarily obey the pentagon identities of monoidal categories. He studies so-called Catalan groupoids \(A_n\) consisting of associations of \(n\) copies of a fixed symbol and reassociations between these associations. These categories are constructed in a similar way as Stasheff's complexes used in the theory of homotopy associativity of \(H\)-spaces. Out of \(\{A_n\}_{n\in {\mathbb N}}\) the author constructs the free associative category \(\overline {\mathcal A}\) on one generator. \(\overline {\mathcal A}\) has a universal property in that there exists a unique (strict) tensor functor from \(\overline {\mathcal A}\) to the category of iterates over an associative category \({\mathcal B}\) such that the generators and the reassociations will be mapped canonically. Furthermore \(\{A_n\}_{n\in {\mathbb N}}\) has the structure of a non-\(\Sigma\) non-unital operad in \({\mathcal C}at\). Using the operad structure the 2-sketch \(A\) of the theory of associative categories will be constructed. Similar techniques as for the calculation of fundamental groups of simplicial complexes will be exploited to calculate the fundamental groups of the various \(A_n\). The morphisms of \(A_n\) are the generators of the fundamental group. The explicit structure of these groups has been calculated for the first seven groupoids \(A_n\).

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• The structure group for the associativity identity
• The syntax of coherence
• AN ALGEBRAIC APPROACH TO SYMMETRIC PRE-MONOIDAL STATISTICS
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