Comparing operadic theories of n-category

DOI10.4310/HHA.2011.V13.N2.A14zbMATH Open1255.18006arXiv0809.2070MaRDI QIDQ650989FDOQ650989

Authors: Eugenia Cheng 

Publication date: 8 December 2011

Published in: Homology, Homotopy and Applications (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: We give a framework for comparing on the one hand theories of n-categories that are weakly enriched operadically, and on the other hand n-categories given as algebras for a contractible globular operad. Examples of the former are the definition by Trimble and variants (Cheng-Gurski) and examples of the latter are the definition by Batanin and variants (Leinster). We will show how to take a theory of n-categories of the former kind and produce a globular operad whose algebras are the n-categories we started with. We first provide a generalisation of Trimble's original theory that allows for the use of other parametrising operads in a very general way, via the notion of categories weakly enriched in V where the weakness is parametrised by an operad P in the category V. We define weak n-categories by iterating the weak enrichment construction using a series of parametrising operads P_i. We then show how to construct from such a theory an n-dimensional globular operad for each $ngeq0$ whose algebras are precisely the n-categories we constructed by iterated weak enrichment, and we show that the resulting globular operad is contractible precisely when the operads P_i are contractible. We then show how the globular operad associated with Trimble's topological definition is related to the globular operad used by Batanin to define fundamental n-groupoids of spaces.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/0809.2070

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zbMATH Keywords

operad\(n\)-category

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Enriched categories (over closed or monoidal categories) (18D20)

Cited In (7)

• Weak vertical composition. II: Totalities
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• Weakly globular \(\text{cat}^n\)-groups and Tamsamani's model
• A proof of the existence of Batanin's initial operad
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• Weak $\infty$-categories via terminal coalgebras

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