diff -r c861ec0b1554 -r 032d3c2b2a89 text/ncat.tex --- a/text/ncat.tex Sat May 07 08:35:36 2011 -0700 +++ b/text/ncat.tex Sat May 07 09:18:37 2011 -0700 @@ -1755,21 +1755,28 @@ \subsection{The \texorpdfstring{$n{+}1$}{n+1}-category of sphere modules} \label{ssec:spherecat} -In this subsection we define $n{+}1$-categories $\cS$ of ``sphere modules" -whose objects are $n$-categories. +In this subsection we define $n{+}1$-categories $\cS$ of ``sphere modules". +The objects are $n$-categories, the $k$-morphisms are $k{-}1$-sphere modules for $1\le k \le n$, +and the $n{+}1$-morphisms are intertwinors. With future applications in mind, we treat simultaneously the big category of all $n$-categories and all sphere modules and also subcategories thereof. When $n=1$ this is closely related to familiar $2$-categories consisting of algebras, bimodules and intertwiners (or a subcategory of that). +The sphere module $n{+}1$-category is a natural generalization of the +algebra-bimodule-intertwinor 2-category to higher dimensions. + +Another possible name for this $n{+}1$-category is $n{+}1$-category of defects. +The $n$-categories are thought of as representing field theories, and the +$0$-sphere modules are codimension 1 defects between adjacent theories. +In general, $m$-sphere modules are codimension $m{+}1$ defects; +the link of such a defect is an $m$-sphere decorated with defects of smaller codimension. + +\medskip While it is appropriate to call an $S^0$ module a bimodule, this is much less true for higher dimensional spheres, so we prefer the term ``sphere module" for the general case. -%The results of this subsection are not needed for the rest of the paper, -%so we will skimp on details in a couple of places. We have included this mostly -%for the sake of comparing our notion of a disk-like $n$-category to other definitions. - For simplicity, we will assume that $n$-categories are enriched over $\c$-vector spaces. The $0$- through $n$-dimensional parts of $\cS$ are various sorts of modules, and we describe @@ -1783,7 +1790,7 @@ \medskip -Our first task is to define an $n$-category $m$-sphere module, for $0\le m \le n-1$. +Our first task is to define an $n$-category $m$-sphere modules, for $0\le m \le n-1$. These will be defined in terms of certain classes of marked balls, very similarly to the definition of $n$-category modules above. (This, in turn, is very similar to our definition of $n$-category.) @@ -1814,7 +1821,8 @@ Fix $n$-categories $\cA$ and $\cB$. These will label the two halves of a $0$-marked $k$-ball. -An $n$-category $0$-sphere module $\cM$ over the $n$-categories $\cA$ and $\cB$ is a collection of functors $\cM_k$ from the category +An $n$-category $0$-sphere module $\cM$ over the $n$-categories $\cA$ and $\cB$ is +a collection of functors $\cM_k$ from the category of $0$-marked $k$-balls, $1\le k \le n$, (with the two halves labeled by $\cA$ and $\cB$) to the category of sets. If $k=n$ these sets should be enriched to the extent $\cA$ and $\cB$ are. @@ -2024,7 +2032,10 @@ Next we define the $n{+}1$-morphisms of $\cS$. The construction of the 0- through $n$-morphisms was easy and tautological, but the $n{+}1$-morphisms will require some effort and combinatorial topology, as well as additional -duality assumptions on the lower morphisms. These are required because we define the spaces of $n{+}1$-morphisms by making arbitrary choices of incoming and outgoing boundaries for each $n$-ball. The additional duality assumptions are needed to prove independence of our definition form these choices. +duality assumptions on the lower morphisms. +These are required because we define the spaces of $n{+}1$-morphisms by +making arbitrary choices of incoming and outgoing boundaries for each $n$-ball. +The additional duality assumptions are needed to prove independence of our definition form these choices. Let $X$ be an $n{+}1$-ball, and let $c$ be a decoration of its boundary by a cell complex labeled by 0- through $n$-morphisms, as above.