nLab strict (2,1)-category

Redirected from "strict (2,1)-categories".
Contents

Context

Higher category theory

higher category theory

Basic concepts

Basic theorems

Applications

Models

Morphisms

Functors

Universal constructions

Extra properties and structure

1-categorical presentations

Contents

Idea

A strict (2,1)-category is a 2-category which is both a strict 2-category as well as a (2,1)-category, hence which is a Grpd-enriched category, referred to as a g.e. category in original articles (Fantham & Moore 1983).

Examples

Example

(homotopy 2-category of topological spaces)
There is a strict (2,1)(2,1)-category whose underlying 1-category is that of TopologicalSpaces and whose 2-morphisms are the higher homotopy-classes of homotopies between continuous functions.

If one restricts to topological spaces which admit the structure of CW-complexes, then this is equivalently the homotopy 2-category of the ( , 1 ) (\infty,1) -category of the simplicial localization of TopologicalSpaces at the weak homotopy equivalences (equivalently that of \infty -groupoids), hence is the (2,1)-category-enhancement of the classical homotopy category.

Since higher homotopy-classes of homotopies were also known as “tracks”, some authors (following Baues 1991, p. 300) say “track category”, not just for this example, but for GrpdGrpd-enriched categories generally.

References

Original discussion of GrpdGrpd-enriched categories motivated from the homotopy 2-category of topological spaces:

In this context, some authors use the term “track category” for “GrpdGrpd-enriched category” (referring to their 2-morphisms, since “track” is a term for relative higher homotopy-classes of homotopies), following:

see also

For example, Toda brackets have a neat desciption in the homotopy 2-category of topological spaces regarded (Ex. ) as a strict (2,1)-category (hence: “track category”):

Often strict (2,1)-categories are discussed in the broader context of strict 2-categories, i.e. Cat-enriched categories, and not explicitly identified as the special case that they are, e.g. in:

Last revised on September 21, 2021 at 13:20:51. See the history of this page for a list of all contributions to it.