Deformation Theory of $\mathbb{E}_n$-Monoidal Categories
Algebraic Geometry
2026-02-27 v2 Category Theory
Quantum Algebra
Abstract
In this paper, we prove that the naive deformation problem of an -monoidal stable -linear -category is a -proximate formal -moduli problem, whose corresponding formal moduli problem is controlled by the non-unital -algebra , where is the -center of . If is rigid monoidal and tamely compactly generated by unobstructible objects, then this naive deformation problem is equivalent to the formal moduli problem. We also prove a uniqueness theorem for formal deformations of certain formal moduli problems, which can be applied to the and -monoidal deformation problems of for a reductive algebraic group with a simple Lie algebra . Finally, we show factorization homology is compatible with deformations.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2602.21431,
title = {Deformation Theory of $\mathbb{E}_n$-Monoidal Categories},
author = {Yining Chen},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2602.21431},
year = {2026}
}