nLab higher algebra

higher geometry$\leftarrow$ Isbell duality $\to$ higher algebra

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Idea

The notion of higher algebra or homotopical algebra refers to generalizations of algebra in the context of homotopy theory and more general of higher category theory.

General

Ordinary algebra concerns itself in particular with structures such as associative algebras, which are monoids internal to monoidal categories:

• a monoid internal to Set is just an ordinary monoid;

• a monoid internal to Ab, the category of abelian groups, is a ring;

• a monoid internal to Vect is an ordinary algebra: a vector space equipped with a linear binary associative product with unit;

• a monoid in a category of chain complexes is a differential graded algebra;

etc.

Of course, there are other aspects to algebra such as those resulting from non-associative theories such as Lie algebras and there are many aspects such as questions within Galois theory, and representation theory for which the above is too limited a view, but for the moment let it stand.

Higher algebra (or homotopical algebra) is similarly, but in particular, the study of monoids internal to higher categories.

A central motivating example for - or special case of the study of higher algebra was

• monoids internal to the stable (infinity,1)-category of spectra – called commutative ring spectra

The “higher algebra” embodied by commutative ring spectra has been called brave new algebra by F. Waldhausen.

More generally, algebra is partially about algebraic theories, about monads and about operads. All these have higher analogs in higher algebra.

Other aspects of higher algebra?

The parts of algebra that we set aside at the end of the idea are not outside the possible range of higher algebra, they just have not yet been that developed and it is not always clear in what directions they most naturally ‘should’ be developed. To take an example, Lie infinity-algebroid is clearly a higher algebraic analogue of a Lie algebra, and is a ‘multi-object’ one as well. Questions in representation theory are often phrased in terms of monoidal categories, and their higher algebraic analogues have new structural facets that look very interesting and useful. Finally Galois theory naturally falls into the context of Grothendieck’s extensive work both on higher stacks but also the Grothendieck-Teichmuller theory. Here the theory is awaiting clear indications what higher Galois theory might mean.

Concepts

Monads, algebraic theories, operads

• algebraic theory / 2-algebraic theory / (∞,1)-algebraic theory

• monad / 2-monad/doctrine / (∞,1)-monad

• operad / (∞,1)-operad

Algebras and modules

• algebra over a monad

  ∞-algebra over an (∞,1)-monad

• algebra over an algebraic theory

  ∞-algebra over an (∞,1)-algebraic theory

  • homotopy T-algebra / model structure on simplicial T-algebras

• algebra over an operad

  ∞-algebra over an (∞,1)-operad

  • model structure on algebras over an operad

Monoidal $(\infty,1)$-Categories

• monoidal category

  • monoid

  • algebra

• monoidal (∞,1)-category

• algebra in an (∞,1)-category

The monoidal structure on stable homotopy theory

• stable homotopy theory

  • stable (infinity,1)-category of spectra

  • stable homotopy category

• smash product of spectra

  • symmetric monoidal smash product of spectra

Symmetric monoidal $(\infty,1)$-categories and commutative algebra

• symmetric monoidal (infinity,1)-category

• commutative algebra in an (infinity,1)-category

• examples

  • stable (infinity,1)-category of spectra

  • symmetric monoidal (infinity,1)-category of presentable (infinity,1)-categories

Commutative ring spectra

• stable (infinity,1)-category of spectra

  • spectrum

  • spectrum object

• associative ring spectrum

  • A-infinity ring

• commutative ring spectrum

  • E-infinity ring

Symmetric monoidal model categories

• model category

• monoidal model category

Related concepts

• higher structures

• higher linear algebra

duality between $\;$algebra and geometry

$\phantom{A}$geometry$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$category$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$dual category$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$algebra$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$topology$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$$\phantom{NC}TopSpaces_{H,cpt}$$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$$\overset{\text{<a href="https://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/Gelfand-Kolmogorov+theorem">Gelfand-Kolmogorov</a>}}{\hookrightarrow} Alg^{op}_{\mathbb{R}}$$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$commutative algebra$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$topology$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$$\phantom{NC}TopSpaces_{H,cpt}$$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$$\overset{\text{<a class="existingWikiWord" href="https://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/Gelfand+duality">Gelfand duality</a>}}{\simeq} TopAlg^{op}_{C^\ast, comm}$$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$comm. C-star-algebra$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$noncomm. topology$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$$NCTopSpaces_{H,cpt}$$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$$\overset{\phantom{\text{Gelfand duality}}}{\coloneqq} TopAlg^{op}_{C^\ast}$$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$general C-star-algebra$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$algebraic geometry$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$$\phantom{NC}Schemes_{Aff}$$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$$\overset{\text{<a href="https://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/affine+scheme#AffineSchemesFullSubcategoryOfOppositeOfRings">almost by def.</a>}}{\simeq} \phantom{Top}Alg^{op}$$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A} \phantom{A}$ $\phantom{A}$commutative ring$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$noncomm. algebraic$\phantom{A}$ $\phantom{A}$geometry$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$$NCSchemes_{Aff}$$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$$\overset{\phantom{\text{Gelfand duality}}}{\coloneqq} \phantom{Top}Alg^{op}_{fin, red}$$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$fin. gen. $\phantom{A}$associative algebra$\phantom{A}$$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$differential geometry$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$$SmoothManifolds$$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$$\overset{\text{<a href="https://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/embedding+of+smooth+manifolds+into+formal+duals+of+R-algebras">Milnor's exercise</a>}}{\hookrightarrow} \phantom{Top}Alg^{op}_{comm}$$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$commutative algebra$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$supergeometry$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$$\array{SuperSpaces_{Cart} \\ \\ \mathbb{R}^{n\vert q}}$$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$$\array{ \overset{\phantom{\text{Milnor's exercise}}}{\hookrightarrow} & Alg^{op}_{\mathbb{Z}_2 \phantom{AAAA}} \\ \mapsto & C^\infty(\mathbb{R}^n) \otimes \wedge^\bullet \mathbb{R}^q }$$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$supercommutative$\phantom{A}$ $\phantom{A}$superalgebra$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$formal higher$\phantom{A}$ $\phantom{A}$supergeometry$\phantom{A}$ $\phantom{A}$(super Lie theory)$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}\array{ Super L_\infty Alg_{fin} \\ \mathfrak{g} }\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}\array{ \overset{ \phantom{A}\text{<a href="https://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/L-infinity-algebra#ReformulationInTermsOfSemifreeDGAlgebra">Lada-Markl</a>}\phantom{A} }{\hookrightarrow} & sdgcAlg^{op} \\ \mapsto & CE(\mathfrak{g}) }\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$differential graded-commutative$\phantom{A}$ $\phantom{A}$superalgebra $\phantom{A}$ (“FDAs”)

in physics:

$\phantom{A}$algebra$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$geometry$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$Poisson algebra$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$Poisson manifold$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$deformation quantization$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$geometric quantization$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$algebra of observables	$\phantom{A}$space of states$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$Heisenberg picture	$\phantom{A}$Schrödinger picture$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$AQFT$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$FQFT$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$higher algebra$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$higher geometry$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$Poisson n-algebra$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$n-plectic manifold$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$En-algebras$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$higher symplectic geometry$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$BD-BV quantization$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$higher geometric quantization$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$factorization algebra of observables$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$extended quantum field theory$\phantom{A}$
$\phantom{A}$factorization homology$\phantom{A}$	$\phantom{A}$cobordism representation$\phantom{A}$

References

A comprehensive development of the theory is in

• Jacob Lurie, Higher Algebra

  • Commutative Algebra

  • Noncommutative Algebra

  • Deformation Theory

See also

• Anthony Elmendorf, Igor Kriz, Michael Mandell, Peter May, Rings, modules and algebras in stable homotopy theory, Mathematical surveys and monographs 47, American Mathematical Society, 1997