Online algebra seminar - June 10th, 1pm Print

We will continue online on Thursday, June 10th, at 13.00 CEST on ZOOM platform (for information how to acces seminar and next programme visit this page) by the talk:

Noam Zeilberger

Skew monoidal categories and the proof-theoretic anatomy of associativity (and unitality)

Abstract:
Based on joint work with Tarmo Uustalu and Niccolò Veltri.

The talk will survey a recent line of work, which takes a proof-theoretic approach to solving the coherence problem(s) for skew monoidal categories and related structures. I will begin by discussing the so-called Tamari order on fully-bracketed words induced by a semi-associative law (AB)C <= A(BC), and explain how a simple sequent calculus may account for some of its fascinating properties, such as the fact that the set of fully-bracketed words on n+1 letters forms a lattice Y_n under this order, as well as a remarkable formula counting the number of intervals in Y_n.
Then I will recall the definition of skew monoidal categories, and explain how a more refined sequent calculus may be used to solve two related coherence problems: deciding equality of maps and enumerating homsets in free skew monoidal categories. Closely related to recent work by Bourke and Lack, this sequent calculus may be considered as a canonical construction of the free left representable skew multicategory over a set of atoms.
Finally, I will briefly discuss variations of the sequent calculus capturing "partially skew" monoidal categories with different normality conditions.

References:
[1] https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.10080
[2] https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.05213
[3] https://arxiv.org/abs/2101.10487

Last Updated on Wednesday, 09 June 2021 07:45