Intermutation

Abstract

This paper proves coherence results for categories with a natural transformation called \emph{intermutation} made of arrows from $(A\wedge B)\vee(C\wedge D)$ to ${(A\vee C)\wedge(B\vee D)}$, for $\wedge$ and $\vee$ being two biendofunctors. Intermutation occurs in iterated, or $n$-fold, monoidal categories, which were introduced in connection with $n$-fold loop spaces, and for which a related, but different, coherence result was obtained previously by Balteanu, Fiedorowicz, Schw\" anzl and Vogt. The results of the present paper strengthen up to a point this previous result, and show that two-fold loop spaces arise in the manner envisaged by these authors out of categories of a more general kind, which are not two-fold monoidal in their sense. In particular, some categories with finite products and coproducts are such. Coherence is proved here first for categories where for $\wedge$ and $\vee$ one assumes only intermutation, and next for categories where one also assumes natural associativity isomorphisms. Coherence in the sense of coherence for symmetric monoidal categories is proved when one assumes moreover natural commutativity isomorphisms. A restricted coherence result, involving a proviso of the kind found in coherence for symmetric monoidal closed categories, is proved in the presence of two nonisomorphic unit objects. The coherence conditions for intermutation and for the unit objects are derived from a unifying principle, which roughly speaking is about preservation of categories with structure by functors up to a natural transformation that is not an isomorphism.