Autonomous category.html



In mathematics, an autonomous category is a monoidal category where dual objects exist.¹

Definition

A left (resp. right) autonomous category is a monoidal category where every object has a left (resp. right) dual. An autonomous category is a monoidal category where every object has both a left and a right dual.² In this sense, autonomous categories are also known as rigid categories.

In a symmetric monoidal category, the existence of left duals is equivalent to the existence of right duals, categories of this kind are called compact closed categories.

The concepts of *-autonomous category and autonomous category are directly related, specifically, every autonomous category is *-autonomous. A *-autonomous category may be described as a linearly distributive category with (left and right) negations; such categories have two monoidal products linked with a sort of distributive law. In the case where the two monoidal products coincide and the distributivities are taken from the associativity isomorphism of the single monoidal structure, one obtains autonomous categories.

Notes and references

Sources

• Yetter, David N. (2001). Functorial Knot Theory. World Scientific. ISBN 9810244436. 
• Berman, Stephen; Yuly Billi (2003). Vertex Operator Algebras in Mathematics and Physics. American Mathematical Society. ISBN 0821828568. 

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