Completeness results for quasi-categories of algebras, homotopy limits, and related general constructions

Abstract

Consider a diagram of quasi-categories that admit and functors that preserve limits or colimits of a fixed shape. We show that any weighted limit whose weight is a projective cofibrant simplicial functor is again a quasi-category admitting these (co)limits and that they are preserved by the functors in the limit cone. In particular, the Bousfield-Kan homotopy limit of a diagram of quasi-categories admit any limits or colimits existing in and preserved by the functors in that diagram. In previous work, we demonstrated that the quasi-category of algebras for a homotopy coherent monad could be described as a weighted limit with projective cofibrant weight, so these results immediately provide us with important (co)completeness results for quasi-categories of algebras. These generalise most of the classical categorical results, except for a well known theorem which shows that limits lift to the category of algebras for any monad, regardless of whether its functor part preserves those limits. The second half of this paper establishes this more general result in the quasi-categorical setting: showing that the monadic forgetful functor of the quasi-category of algebras for a homotopy coherent monad creates all limits that exist in the base quasi-category, without further assumption on the monad. This proof relies upon a more delicate and explicit analysis of the particular weight used to define quasi-categories of algebras.