t-structures are normal torsion theories

Abstract

We characterize $t$-structures in stable $\infty$-categories as suitable quasicategorical factorization systems. More precisely we show that a $t$-structure $\mathfrak{t}$ on a stable $\infty$-category $\mathbf{C}$ is equivalent to a normal torsion theory $\mathbb{F}$ on $\mathbf{C}$, i.e. to a factorization system $\mathbb{F}=(\mathcal{E},\mathcal{M})$ where both classes satisfy the 3-for-2 cancellation property, and a certain compatibility with pullbacks/pushouts.