Taut functors and the difference operator

Difference algebra (12H10) Special properties of functors (faithful, full, etc.) (18A22) Monads (= standard construction, triple or triad), algebras for monads, homology and derived functors for monads (18C15) Goodwillie calculus and functor calculus (18F50)

Review text

A pullback in which one leg is a monomorphism is called an \textit{inverse image diagram}. A functor that preserves these is \textit{taut}, and a taut natural transformation is one in which the naturality squares corresponding to monomorphisms are pullbacks. This paper considers the category \(\mathbf{Taut}\) of taut endofunctors and taut natural transformations of \(\mathbf{Set}\), specifically as an arena for objective number theory.\N\NThe identity endofunctor \(\mathbf{Set}\rightarrow\mathbf{Set}\) is taut, as is any constant-valued endofunctor \(X \mapsto C\). Sums (disjoint unions) and products of taut functors are again taut: thus there are taut ``polynomial functors. Various concepts of ring theory can be emulated within \(\mathbf{Taut}\), as well as formal power series, formal Dirichlet series, and many other interesting constructions.\N\NThe author introduces a difference operator \(\Delta: \mathbf{Taut}\rightarrow \mathbf{Taut}\) by analogy with the difference operator on sequences. There is a lax chain rule for this operator, with many nice properties. In particular, it ``plays well with the various types of formal polynomial and series mentioned above. The paper ends with a ``Newton summation formula for taut endofunctors of \(\mathbf{Set}\).

Cites work

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