diff -r 3278eafef668 -r 73c62576ef70 text/ncat.tex --- a/text/ncat.tex Wed May 12 15:57:20 2010 -0700 +++ b/text/ncat.tex Wed May 12 18:26:20 2010 -0500 @@ -23,21 +23,16 @@ \medskip -Consider first ordinary $n$-categories. -\nn{Actually, we're doing both plain and infinity cases here} -We need a set (or sets) of $k$-morphisms for each $0\le k \le n$. -We must decide on the ``shape" of the $k$-morphisms. -Some $n$-category definitions model $k$-morphisms on the standard bihedron (interval, bigon, ...). +There are many existing definitions of $n$-categories, with various intended uses. In any such definition, there are sets of $k$-morphisms for each $0 \leq k \leq n$. Generally, these sets are indexed by instances of a certain typical chape. +Some $n$-category definitions model $k$-morphisms on the standard bihedrons (interval, bigon, and so on). Other definitions have a separate set of 1-morphisms for each interval $[0,l] \sub \r$, a separate set of 2-morphisms for each rectangle $[0,l_1]\times [0,l_2] \sub \r^2$, and so on. (This allows for strict associativity.) -Still other definitions \nn{need refs for all these; maybe the Leinster book \cite{MR2094071}} +Still other definitions (see, for example, \cite{MR2094071}) model the $k$-morphisms on more complicated combinatorial polyhedra. -We will allow our $k$-morphisms to have any shape, so long as it is homeomorphic to -the standard $k$-ball. -In other words, +For our definition, we will allow our $k$-morphisms to have any shape, so long as it is homeomorphic to the standard $k$-ball: \begin{preliminary-axiom}{\ref{axiom:morphisms}}{Morphisms} For any $k$-manifold $X$ homeomorphic @@ -45,11 +40,10 @@ $\cC_k(X)$. \end{preliminary-axiom} -Terminology: By ``a $k$-ball" we mean any $k$-manifold which is homeomorphic to the +By ``a $k$-ball" we mean any $k$-manifold which is homeomorphic to the standard $k$-ball. We {\it do not} assume that it is equipped with a -preferred homeomorphism to the standard $k$-ball. -The same goes for ``a $k$-sphere" below. +preferred homeomorphism to the standard $k$-ball, and the same applies to ``a $k$-sphere" below. Given a homeomorphism $f:X\to Y$ between $k$-balls (not necessarily fixed on @@ -84,21 +78,21 @@ Correspondingly, for 1-morphisms it makes sense to distinguish between domain and range. (Actually, this is only true in the oriented case, with 1-morphsims parameterized by oriented 1-balls.) -For $k>1$ and in the presence of strong duality the domain/range division makes less sense. -\nn{maybe say more here; rotate disk, Frobenius reciprocity blah blah} -We prefer to combine the domain and range into a single entity which we call the +For $k>1$ and in the presence of strong duality the division into domain and range makes less sense. For example, in a pivotal tensor category, there are natural isomorphisms $\Hom{}{A}{B \tensor C} \isoto \Hom{}{A \tensor B^*}{C}$, etc. (sometimes called ``Frobenius reciprocity''), which canonically identify all the morphism spaces which have the same boundary. We prefer to not make the distinction in the first place. + +Instead, we combine the domain and range into a single entity which we call the boundary of a morphism. Morphisms are modeled on balls, so their boundaries are modeled on spheres: -\nn{perhaps it's better to define $\cC(S^k)$ as a colimit, rather than making it new data} - \begin{axiom}[Boundaries (spheres)] For each $0 \le k \le n-1$, we have a functor $\cC_k$ from the category of $k$-spheres and homeomorphisms to the category of sets and bijections. \end{axiom} -(In order to conserve symbols, we use the same symbol $\cC_k$ for both morphisms and boundaries.) +In order to conserve symbols, we use the same symbol $\cC_k$ for both morphisms and boundaries, and again often omit the subscript. + +In fact, the functors for spheres are entirely determined by the functors for balls and the subsequent axioms. (In particular, $\cC(S^k)$ is the colimit of $\cC$ applied to decompositions of $S^k$ into balls.) However, it is easiest to think of it as additional data at this point. \begin{axiom}[Boundaries (maps)]\label{nca-boundary} For each $k$-ball $X$, we have a map of sets $\bd: \cC(X)\to \cC(\bd X)$. @@ -108,7 +102,7 @@ (Note that the first ``$\bd$" above is part of the data for the category, while the second is the ordinary boundary of manifolds.) -Given $c\in\cC(\bd(X))$, let $\cC(X; c) \deq \bd^{-1}(c)$. +Given $c\in\cC(\bd(X))$, we will write $\cC(X; c)$ for $\bd^{-1}(c)$, those morphisms with specified boundary $c$. Most of the examples of $n$-categories we are interested in are enriched in the following sense. The various sets of $n$-morphisms $\cC(X; c)$, for all $n$-balls $X$ and