Weak vertical composition. II: Totalities (Q6595526)

This paper continues the study of weak vertical composition began in [\textit{E. Cheng} and \textit{A. S. Corner}, Theory Appl. Categ. 42, 222--262 (2024; Zbl 1545.18010)], in which it is shown that any doubly-degenerate \(\boldsymbol{Bicat} _{s}\)-category\ \(X\) has an underlying braided monoidal category \(UX\), and that given any braided monoidal category \(B\)\ there is a doubly-degenerate \(\boldsymbol{Bicat}_{s}\)-category\ \(\Sigma B\) such that \(U\Sigma B\)\ is braided monoidal equivalent to \(B\), which implies that weak vertical composition is enough to achieve braided monoidal categories in the doubly-degenerate case.\N\NThis paper extends the comparison to totalities, assembling doubly-degenerate \(\boldsymbol{Bicat}_{s}\)-categories into a 2-category and exhibiting a biequivalence with the 2-category of braided monoidal categories.\N\NThe synopsis of the paper goes as follows.\N\N\begin{itemize}\N\item[\S 1] constructs \(\boldsymbol{Bicat}_{s}\)-categories as algebras for a 2-monad on the 2-category \(\boldsymbol{Cat}-\boldsymbol{2}-\boldsymbol{Gph} \)\ of 2-graphs enriched in \(\boldsymbol{Cat}\).\N\N\item[\S 2] does some preliminary examination of structures arising from a 2-dimensional distributive law of general 2-monads \(S\)\ over \(T\), characterizing strict \(TS\)-algebras via a \(T\)-algebra and \(S\)-algebra structure together with an interaction axiom.\N\N\item[\S 3] unravels those definitions, re-characterizing doubly-degenerate \(\boldsymbol{Bicat}_{s}\)-categories as braided monoidal categories in three steps\N\begin{itemize}\N\item[(1)] The authors express them as \(HV\)-algebras.\N\item[(2)] They re-express them as an \(H\)-algebra and \(V\)-algebra structure abiding by an interaction axion coming from the distributive law.\N\item[(3)] They finally express them as a \(V\)-algebra (monoidal category) with a braiding coming from a weak Eckmann-Hilton argument.\N\end{itemize}\Nand re-characterizing a weak map of doubly-degenerate \(\boldsymbol{Bicat}_{s}\)-categories as braided monoidal functor via the corresponding three steps\N\begin{itemize}\N\item[(1)] The authors start with a weak map of \(HV\)-algebras.\N\item[(2)] They re-express it as a weak map of \(H\)-algebras and a weak map of \(V\)-algebras, with an interaction condition relating to the distributive law.\N\item[(3)] They finally re-express it as just a weak map of \(V\)-algebras plus a braiding condition.\N\end{itemize}\N\N\item[\S 4] establishes the main theorem\N\NTheorem. The 2-functor\N\[\NU:\underline{\underline{\boldsymbol{dd\boldsymbol{Bicat}_{s}-Cat}}} \rightarrow\underline{\underline{\boldsymbol{BrMonCat}}}\N\]\Nis part of a biadjoint biequivalence of 2-categories.\N\N\item[Appendix] contains various proofs using string diagrams.\N\end{itemize}