diff -r 0b9636e084f9 -r 61287354218c pnas/pnas.tex --- a/pnas/pnas.tex Wed Nov 17 11:46:39 2010 -0800 +++ b/pnas/pnas.tex Wed Nov 17 11:58:35 2010 -0800 @@ -246,21 +246,27 @@ \section{Definitions} \subsection{$n$-categories} \mbox{} -\nn{rough draft of n-cat stuff...} +In this section we give a definition of $n$-categories designed to work well with TQFTs. +The main idea is to base the definition on actual balls, rather combinatorial models of them. +This has the advantages of avoiding a proliferation of coherency axioms and building in a strong +version of duality from the start. -\nn{maybe say something about goals: well-suited to TQFTs; avoid proliferation of coherency axioms; -non-recursive (n-cats not defined n terms of (n-1)-cats; easy to show that the motivating -examples satisfy the axioms; strong duality; both plain and infty case; -(?) easy to see that axioms are correct, in the sense of nothing missing (need -to say this better if we keep it)} -\nn{maybe: the typical n-cat definition tries to do two things at once: (1) give a list of basic properties -which are weak enough to include the basic examples and strong enough to support the proofs -of the main theorems; and (2) specify a minimal set of generators and/or axioms. -We separate these two tasks, and address only the first, which becomes much easier when not burdened by the second. -More specifically, life is easier when working with maximal, rather than minimal, collections of axioms.} +%\nn{maybe say something about goals: well-suited to TQFTs; avoid proliferation of coherency axioms; +%non-recursive (n-cats not defined n terms of (n-1)-cats; easy to show that the motivating +%examples satisfy the axioms; strong duality; both plain and infty case; +%(?) easy to see that axioms are correct, in the sense of nothing missing (need +%to say this better if we keep it)} +% +%\nn{maybe: the typical n-cat definition tries to do two things at once: (1) give a list of basic properties +%which are weak enough to include the basic examples and strong enough to support the proofs +%of the main theorems; and (2) specify a minimal set of generators and/or axioms. +%We separate these two tasks, and address only the first, which becomes much easier when not burdened by the second. +%More specifically, life is easier when working with maximal, rather than minimal, collections of axioms.} -\nn{say something about defining plain and infty cases simultaneously} +We will define plain and $A_\infty$ $n$-categories simultaneously, as all but one of the axioms are identical +in the two cases. + There are five basic ingredients \cite{life-of-brian} of an $n$-category definition: