Related papers: Weak units, universal cells, and coherence via uni…
Rigid monoidal 1-categories are ubiquitous throughout quantum algebra and low-dimensional topology. We study a generalization of this notion, namely rigid algebras in an arbitrary monoidal 2-category. Examples of rigid algebras include…
We define weak units in a semi-monoidal 2-category $\CC$ as cancellable pseudo-idempotents: they are pairs $(I,\alpha)$ where $I$ is an object such that tensoring with $I$ from either side constitutes a biequivalence of $\CC$, and $\alpha:…
In this survey paper we give account of several approaches to the strictification and non-strictification of monoidal categories, which are constructions that turn a monoidal category into a (non-)strict one monoidally equivalent to the…
We propose a definition of double categories whose composition of 1-cells is weak in both directions. Namely, a doubly weak double category is a double computad -- a structure with 2-cells of all possible double-categorical shapes --…
In this thesis, we develop the theory of bifibrations of polycategories. We start by studying how to express certain categorical structures as universal properties by generalising the shape of morphism. We call this phenomenon…
We examine the periodic table of weak n-categories for the low-dimensional cases. It is widely understood that degenerate categories give rise to monoids, doubly degenerate bicategories to commutative monoids, and degenerate bicategories to…
In some bicategories, the 1-cells are `morphisms' between the 0-cells, such as functors between categories, but in others they are `objects' over the 0-cells, such as bimodules, spans, distributors, or parametrized spectra. Many…
We establish the universal properties of the bicategory of polynomials, considering both cartesian and general morphisms between these polynomials. A direct proof of these universal properties would be impractical due to the complicated…
In this paper we redevelop the foundations of the category theory of quasi-categories (also called infinity-categories) using 2-category theory. We show that Joyal's strict 2-category of quasi-categories admits certain weak 2-limits, among…
We study monoidal 2-categories and bicategories in terms of categorical extensions and the cohomological data they determine in appropriate cohomology theories with coefficients in Picard groupoids. In particular, we analyze the hierarchy…
This paper proves three different coherence theorems for symmetric monoidal bicategories. First, we show that in a free symmetric monoidal bicategory every diagram of 2-cells commutes. Second, we show that this implies that the free…
When a category is equipped with a 2-cell structure it becomes a sesquicategory but not necessarily a 2-category. It is widely accepted that the latter property is equivalent to the middle interchange law. However, little attention has been…
We form tricategories and the homomorphisms between them into a bicategory, whose 2-cells are certain degenerate tritransformations. We then enrich this bicategory into an example of a three-dimensional structure called a locally cubical…
Given a 2-category $\twocat{K}$ admitting a calculus of bimodules, and a 2-monad T on it compatible with such calculus, we construct a 2-category $\twocat{L}$ with a 2-monad S on it such that: (1)S has the adjoint-pseudo-algebra property.…
We study semi-strict tricategories in which the only weakness is in vertical composition. We construct these as categories enriched in the category of bicategories with strict functors, with respect to the cartesian monoidal structure. As…
The behaviour of limits of weak morphisms in 2-dimensional universal algebra is not 2-categorical in that, to fully express the behaviour that occurs, one needs to be able to quantify over strict morphisms amongst the weaker kinds.…
Based on the novel notion of `weakly counital fusion morphism', regular weak multiplier bimonoids in braided monoidal categories are introduced. They generalize weak multiplier bialgebras over fields and multiplier bimonoids in braided…
We prove the first equivalence between a weak non-algebraic model and a semi-strict algebraic model of $(\infty, n)$-categories. This takes the form of a natural semi-strictification, whereby a weak $(\infty, n)$-category is embedded into a…
Many structures of interest in two-dimensional category theory have aspects that are inherently strict. This strictness is not a limitation, but rather plays a fundamental role in the theory of such structures. For instance, a monoidal…
We study the totality of categories weakly enriched in a monoidal bicategory using a notion of enriched icon as 2-cells. We show that when the monoidal bicategory in question is symmetric then this process can be iterated. We show that…