English

Combinatorial n-fold monoidal categories and n-fold operads

Category Theory 2007-05-23 v4 Algebraic Topology

Abstract

Operads were originally defined as V-operads, that is, enriched in a symmetric or braided monoidal category V. The symmetry or braiding in V is required in order to describe the associativity axiom the operads must obey, as well as the associativity that must be a property of the action of an operad on any of its algebras. After a review of the role of operads in loop space theory and higher categories we go over definitions of iterated monoidal categories and introduce a large family of simple examples. Then we generalize the definition of operad by defining n-fold operads and their algebras in an iterated monoidal category. We discuss examples of these that live in the previously described categories. Finally we describe the iterated monoidal category of m-fold V-operads.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.math/0411561,
  title  = {Combinatorial n-fold monoidal categories and n-fold operads},
  author = {S. Forcey and J. Siehler and E. Seth Sowers},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:math/0411561},
  year   = {2007}
}

Comments

Corrections made: see remark 1 in comparison with old versions