arXiv subjects

Christoph Schweigert

Publications and source records attributed to Christoph Schweigert.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Hochschild Cohomology, Modular Tensor Categories, and Mapping Class Groups II

In the first part of this work, we have, for a not necessarily semisimple modular category, generalized the action of the mapping class groups of surfaces on the spaces of conformal blocks to the so-called derived block spaces. In the second part presented here, we compute this action explicitly in the case of Drinfel'd doubles of finite groups over fields of positive characteristic. To do that, we connect Lyubashenko's approach to mapping class group representations with the theory of representation varieties. In this way, we are able to show that the mapping class group representations on the derived block spaces are in general different from those on the ordinary block spaces.

math.QA↗

arXiv2026

Modular functors and CFT correlators via double categories

We point out that double categories provide a natural setting for modular functors obtained by a (bicategorical) string-net construction: The source of the modular functor -- which is now a double functor -- is a symmetric monoidal double category of bordisms, with bordisms as horizontal morphisms and smooth embeddings of manifolds as vertical morphisms. The target of the modular functor is a double category with profunctors and functors as horizontal and vertical morphisms. The correlators and field functors for a conformal field theory based on a pivotal monoidal category $\mathcal C$ can then be understood in the unified setting of a vertical transformation between the modular functors for two pointed pivotal bicategories, the delooping of $\mathcal C$ and the bicategory of $Δ$-separable symmetric Frobenius algebras in $\mathcal C$. Using skein theoretic methods, we show that this vertical transformation is an equivalence, which implies that field functors are equivalences of categories and that universal correlators are isomorphisms of vector spaces.

math.QA↗

arXiv2026

Linearly distributive coherence in the absence of units

Coherence in a monoidal category asserts that all morphisms built from structural isomorphisms with a fixed source and target coincide. These structural isomorphisms include, in particular, the associators. Linearly distributive categories carry two tensor products, with structural morphisms given by associators and distributors relating the two tensor products. In several examples, including Grothendieck--Verdier categories, also known as $\ast$-autonomous categories, these distributors need not be invertible. We give a self-contained proof that linearly distributive categories without units are coherent, while units may obstruct coherence. With the same techniques, we also establish an analogous coherence result for Frobenius linearly distributive functors without units. These results admit a reformulation in terms of directed paths in associahedra and multiplihedra.

math.CO↗

arXiv2026

Deformations of mixed associators in module categories

We set up a cochain complex $C^\bullet_{\mathrm{mix}}(\mathcal{M})$ whose cohomology controls deformations of the mixed associator of a module category $\mathcal{M}$ over a $\Bbbk$-linear monoidal category $\mathcal{C}$. We show that $C^\bullet_{\mathrm{mix}}(\mathcal{M})$ is isomorphic to the Davydov-Yetter (DY) complex of the representation functor $ρ: \mathcal{C} \to \mathrm{End}(\mathcal{M})$. Using our previous results on DY cohomology (arXiv:2411.19111), we prove that if $\mathcal{C}$ and $\mathcal{M}$ are finite then the cohomology $H^\bullet_{\mathrm{mix}}(\mathcal{M})$ is isomorphic to the relative Ext groups $\mathrm{Ext}^\bullet_{\mathcal{Z}(\mathcal{C}),\mathcal{C}}(\boldsymbol{1},\mathcal{A}_{\mathcal{M}})$ for the usual adjunction between the Drinfeld center $\mathcal{Z}(\mathcal{C})$ and $\mathcal{C}$, where $\mathcal{A}_{\mathcal{M}}$ is the so-called adjoint algebra of $\mathcal{M}$. This allows us to give a dimension formula for $H^n_{\mathrm{mix}}(\mathcal{M})$ in terms of certain Hom spaces in $\mathcal{Z}(\mathcal{C})$, and also to prove that $H^{>0}_{\mathrm{mix}}(\mathcal{C}) = 0$. We also show that the algebra $\mathcal{A}_{\mathcal{M}}$ is the ``full center'' of an algebra in $\mathcal{C}$ realizing $\mathcal{M}$. We furthermore establish a generalized version of Ocneanu rigidity for monoidal functors with coefficients, and provide its application to general (non-exact and non-finite) $\mathcal{C}$-module categories over a fusion category $\mathcal{C}$ such that $\dim(\mathcal{C}) \neq 0$. We spell out these results for module categories defined by finite-dimensional comodule algebras over finite-dimensional Hopf algebras. Examples based on comodule algebras over Sweedler's Hopf algebra are worked out in detail and yield new continuous families of inequivalent non-exact module categories.

math.QA↗

arXiv2026

The 2-categorical S-matrix of a braided fusion 1-category is a character table

The semisimple module categories over a braided fusion category $\mathcal{C}$ form a connected fusion 2-category $\text{Mod}(\mathcal{C})$. Its Drinfeld center $\mathcal{Z}(\text{Mod}(\mathcal{C}))$ is a braided fusion 2-category. To any braided fusion 2-category, Johnson-Freyd and Reutter arXiv:2105.15167v3 [math.QA] have associated a matrix-valued invariant, the 2-categorical $S$-matrix. In this short note we investigate this matrix of $\mathcal{Z}(\text{Mod}(\mathcal{C}))$ as an invariant for the braided fusion 1-category $\mathcal{C}$ and show that it reduces to the character table of the Müger center of $\mathcal{C}$.

math.QA↗

arXiv2025

A Boundary Characterization of Turaev-Viro TQFTs

We consider three-dimensional topological field theories on manifolds with boundary defects and identify explicit boundary locality conditions. We show that these conditions imply a state sum construction of the given TQFT. As a consistency check, we prove that Turaev-Viro state sum models obey the boundary locality conditions. Recent progress [Faria Martins J., Meusburger C., Adv. Math. 494 (2026), 110923, 102 pages, arXiv:2410.18049] in the description of defects in Dijkgraaf-Witten theories enables us to show that these theories likewise satisfy boundary locality. This directly implies that Dijkgraaf-Witten TQFTs with boundary defects admit a state sum description.

math.QA↗

arXiv2025

All product eigenstates in Heisenberg models from a graphical construction

Recently, large degeneracy based on product eigenstates has been found in spin ladders, kagome-like lattices, and motif magnetism, connected to spin liquids, anyonic phases, and quantum scars. We unify these systems by a complete classification of product eigenstates of Heisenberg XXZ Hamiltonians with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction on general graphs in the form of Kirchhoff rules for spin supercurrent. By this, we construct spin systems with extensive degree of degeneracy linked to exotic condensates which could be studied in atomic gases and quantum spin lattices.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

String-net models for pivotal bicategories

We develop a string-net construction of a modular functor whose algebraic input is a pivotal bicategory; this extends the standard construction based on a spherical fusion category. An essential ingredient in our construction is a graphical calculus for pivotal bicategories, which we express in terms of a category of colored corollas. The globalization of this calculus to oriented surfaces yields the bicategorical string-net spaces as colimits. We show that every rigid separable Frobenius functor between strictly pivotal bicategories induces linear maps between the corresponding bicategorical string-net spaces that are compatible with the mapping class group actions and with sewing. Our results are inspired by and have applications to the description of correlators in two-dimensional conformal field theories.

math.QA↗

arXiv2025

Surface Diagrams for Frobenius Algebras and Frobenius-Schur Indicators in Grothendieck-Verdier Categories

Grothendieck-Verdier categories (also known as $\ast$-autonomous categories) generalize rigid monoidal categories, with notable representation-theoretic examples including categories of bimodules, modules over Hopf algebroids, and modules over vertex operator algebras. In this paper, we develop a surface-diagrammatic calculus for Grothendieck-Verdier categories, extending the string-diagrammatic calculus of Joyal and Street for rigid monoidal categories into a third dimension. This extension naturally arises from the non-invertibility of coherence data in Grothendieck-Verdier categories. We show that key properties of Frobenius algebras in rigid monoidal categories carry over to the Grothendieck-Verdier setting. Moreover, we introduce higher Frobenius-Schur indicators for suitably finite $k$-linear pivotal Grothendieck-Verdier categories and prove their invariance under pivotal Frobenius linearly distributive equivalences. The proofs are carried out using the surface-diagrammatic calculus. To facilitate the verification of some of our results, we provide auxiliary files for the graphical proof assistant homotopy$.$io.

math.CT↗

arXiv2024

Grothendieck-Verdier duality in categories of bimodules and weak module functors

Various monoidal categories, including suitable representation categories of vertex operator algebras, admit natural Grothendieck-Verdier duality structures. We recall that such a Grothendieck-Verdier category comes with two tensor products which should be related by distributors obeying pentagon identities. We discuss in which circumstances these distributors are isomorphisms. This is achieved by taking the perspective of module categories over monoidal categories, using in particular the natural weak module functor structure of internal Homs and internal coHoms. As an illustration, we exhibit these concepts concretely in the case of categories of bimodules over associative algebras.

math.CT↗

arXiv2024

An adjunction theorem for Davydov-Yetter cohomology and infinitesimal braidings

Davydov-Yetter cohomology $H_{\mathrm{DY}}^{\bullet}(F)$ is associated to a monoidal functor $F: \mathcal{C} \to \mathcal{D}$ between $\Bbbk$-linear monoidal categories where $\Bbbk$ is a field, and its second degree classifies the infinitesimal deformations of the monoidal structure of $F$. Our main result states that if $F$ admits a right adjoint $R$, then there is an object $Γ$ in the Drinfeld center $\mathcal{Z}(\mathcal{C})$ defined in terms of $R$ such that the Davydov-Yetter cohomology of $F$ can be expressed as the Davydov-Yetter cohomology of the identity functor on $\mathcal{C}$ with the coefficient $Γ$. We apply this result in the case when the product functor $\otimes: \mathcal{C} \boxtimes\mathcal{C} \to\mathcal{C}$ has a monoidal structure given by a braiding $c$ on $\mathcal{C}$ and determine explicitly the coefficient $Γ$ as a coend object in $\mathcal{Z}(\mathcal{C}) \boxtimes \mathcal{Z}(\mathcal{C})$. The motivation is that $H^{\bullet}_{\mathrm{DY}}(\otimes)$ contains a ``space of infinitesimal braidings tangent to $c$'' in a way that we describe precisely. For $\mathcal{C} = H\text{-}\mathrm{mod}$, where $H$ is a finite-dimensional Hopf algebra over a field $\Bbbk$, this is the Zariski tangent space to the affine variety of R-matrices for $H$. In the case of perfect $\Bbbk$, we give a dimension formula for this space as an explicit end involving only (low-degree) relative Ext's of the standard adjunction between $\mathcal{Z}(\mathcal{C})$ and $\mathcal{C}$. As a further application of the adjunction theorem, we describe deformations of the restriction functor associated to a Hopf subalgebra and a Drinfeld twist. Both applications are illustrated in the example of bosonization of exterior algebras.

math.QA↗

arXiv2024

The Evaluation of Graphs on Surfaces for State-Sum Models with Defects

The evaluation of graphs on 2-spheres is a central ingredient of the Turaev-Viro construction of three-dimensional topological field theories. In this article, we introduce a class of graphs, called extruded graphs, that is relevant for the Turaev-Viro construction with general defect configurations involving defects of various dimensions. We define the evaluation of extruded graphs and show that it is invariant under a set of moves. This ensures the computability and uniqueness of our evaluation.

math.QA↗

arXiv2024

A manifestly Morita-invariant construction of Turaev-Viro invariants

We present a state sum construction that assigns a scalar to a skeleton in a closed oriented three-dimensional manifold. The input datum is the pivotal bicategory $\mathbf{Mod}^{\mathrm{sph}}(\mathcal{A})$ of spherical module categories over a spherical fusion category $\mathcal{A}$. The interplay of algebraic structures in this pivotal bicategory with moves of skeleta ensures that our state sum is independent of the skeleton on the manifold. We show that the bicategorical invariant recovers the value of the standard Turaev-Viro invariant associated to $\mathcal{A}$, thereby proving the independence of the Turaev-Viro invariant under pivotal Morita equivalence without recurring to the Reshetikhin-Turaev construction. A key ingredient for the construction is the evaluation of graphs on the sphere with labels in $\mathbf{Mod}^{\mathrm{sph}}(\mathcal{A})$ that we develop in this article. A central tool are Nakayama-twisted traces on pivotal bimodule categories which we study beyond semisimplicity.

math.QA↗

arXiv2024

Excision for Spaces of Admissible Skeins

The skein module for a d-dimensional manifold is a vector space spanned by embedded framed graphs decorated by a category A with suitable extra structure depending on the dimension d, modulo local relations which hold inside d-balls. For a full subcategory S of A, an S-admissible skein module is defined analogously, except that local relations for a given ball may only be applied if outside the ball at least one edge is coloured in S. In this paper we prove that admissible skein modules in any dimension satisfy excision, namely that the skein module of a glued manifold is expressed as a coend over boundary values on the boundary components glued together. We furthermore relate skein modules for different choices of S, apply our result to cylinder categories, and recover the relation to modified traces.

math.QA↗

arXiv2024

Grothendieck-Verdier module categories, Frobenius algebras and relative Serre functors

We develop the theory of module categories over a Grothendieck-Verdier category, i.e. a monoidal category with a dualizing object and hence a duality structure more general than rigidity. Such a category C comes with two monoidal structures which are related by non-invertible morphisms and which we treat on an equal footing. Quite generally, non-invertible structure morphisms play a dominant role in this theory. In any Grothendieck-Verdier module category M we find two important subcategories M' and M''. The internal End of an object in M' that is a C-generator is an algebra such that its category of modules is equivalent to M as a module category. We also introduce a partially defined relative Serre functor S which furnishes an equivalence between M' and M''. Any isomorphism between an object m of M' and S(m) in M'' endows the internal End of m with the structure of a Grothendieck-Verdier Frobenius algebra.

math.CT↗

arXiv2024

Twisted Drinfeld Centers and Framed String-Nets

We discuss a string-net construction on 2-framed surfaces, taking as algebraic input a finite, rigid tensor category, which is neither assumed to be pivotal nor semi-simple. It is shown that circle categories of our framed string-net construction essentially compute Drinfeld centers twisted by powers of the double dual functor.

math.QA↗

arXiv2024

Davydov-Yetter cohomology and relative homological algebra

Davydov--Yetter (DY) cohomology classifies infinitesimal deformations of the monoidal structure of tensor functors and tensor categories. In this paper we provide new tools for the computation of the DY cohomology for finite tensor categories and exact functors between them. The key point is to realize DY cohomology as relative Ext groups. In particular, we prove that the infinitesimal deformations of a tensor category $\mathcal{C}$ are classified by the 3-rd self-extension group of the tensor unit of the Drinfeld center $\mathcal{Z}(\mathcal{C})$ relative to $\mathcal{C}$. From classical results on relative homological algebra we get a long exact sequence for DY cohomology and a Yoneda product for which we provide an explicit formula. Using the long exact sequence and duality, we obtain a dimension formula for the cohomology groups based solely on relatively projective covers which reduces a problem in homological algebra to a problem in representation theory, e.g. calculating the space of invariants in a certain object of $\mathcal{Z}(\mathcal{C})$. Thanks to the Yoneda product, we also develop a method for computing DY cocycles explicitly which are needed for applications in the deformation theory. We apply these tools to the category of finite-dimensional modules over a finite-dimensional Hopf algebra. We study in detail the examples of the bosonization of exterior algebras $Λ\mathbb{C}^k \rtimes \mathbb{C}[\mathbb{Z}_2]$, the Taft algebras and the small quantum group of $\mathfrak{sl}_2$ at a root of unity.

math.QA↗

arXiv2023

The Lyubashenko Modular Functor for Drinfeld Centers via Non-Semisimple String-Nets

The Levin-Wen string-nets of a spherical fusion category $\mathcal{C}$ describe, by results of Kirillov and Bartlett, the representations of mapping class groups of closed surfaces obtained from the Turaev-Viro construction applied to $\mathcal{C}$. We provide a far-reaching generalization of this statement to arbitrary pivotal finite tensor categories, including non-semisimple or non-spherical ones: We show that the finitely cocompleted string-net modular functor built from the projective objects of a pivotal finite tensor category is equivalent to Lyubashenko's modular functor built from the Drinfeld center $Z(\mathcal{C})$.

math.QA↗