ScalingStacks

3.5. The classifying diagram of a category[0MT4]

We give a construction which embeds the category of categories inside the category of simplicial spaces and which carries equivalences of categories (and only equivalences) to weak equivalences of simplicial spaces.

Given a category CC, define a simplicial space N​C=N⁡(C,iso⁡C)NC=N(C,\iso C), where iso⁡C⊂C\iso C\subset C denotes the maximal subgroupoid. Thus, the mmth space of N​CNC is (N​C)m=nerve⁡iso⁡(C[m])(NC)_{m}=\nerve\iso(C^{[m]}). We call N​CNC the classifying diagram of CC.

Let I⁡[n]I[n] denote the category having n+1n+1 distinct objects, and such that there exists a unique isomorphism between any two objects. We suppose further that there is a chosen inclusion [n]→I⁡[n][n]\rightarrow I[n]. Then the set of nn-simplices of the mmth space of N​CNC corresponds to the set of functors [m]×I⁡[n]→C[m]\times I[n]\rightarrow C. Note that there is a natural isomorphism

(NC)m≈(NC)1×(N​C)0⋯×(N​C)0(NC)1(NC)_{m}\approx(NC)_{1}\times_{(NC)_{0}}\dots\times_{(NC)_{0}}(NC)_{1} (3.6)

(where the right-hand side is an mm-fold fiber-product), and that the natural map (d1,d0):(N​C)1→(N​C)0×(N​C)0(d_{1},d_{0})\colon(NC)_{1}\rightarrow(NC)_{0}\times(NC)_{0} is a simplicial covering space, with fiber over any vertex (x,y)∈(N​C)02(x,y)\in(NC)_{0}^{2} naturally isomorphic to the set homC⁡(x,y)\hom_{C}(x,y).

If the category CC is a groupoid, then the natural map nerve⁡C→N​C\nerve C\rightarrow NC, where nerve⁡C\nerve C is viewed as a constant simplicial space, is a weak equivalence; this follows from the fact that for CC a groupoid, iso⁡(C[m])\iso(C^{[m]}), C[m]C^{[m]}, and CC, are equivalent categories. It is therefore natural to regard the classifying diagram construction as a generalization of the notion of a classifying space of a groupoid.

The following theorem says that N:𝒞​at→s​𝒮N\colon{\operatorname{\mathcal{C}at}}\rightarrow s{\operatorname{\mathcal{S}}} is a full embedding of categories which preserves internal hom-objects, and furthermore takes a functor to a weak equivalence if and only if it is an equivalence of categories.

[05TY]

Theorem 3.7. Let CC and DD be categories. There are natural isomorphisms

N⁡(C×D)≈N​C×N​DandN⁡(DC)≈(N​D)N​CN(C\times D)\approx NC\times ND\qquad\text{and}\qquad N(D^{C})\approx(ND)^{NC}

of simplicial spaces. The functor N:𝒞​at→s​𝒮N\colon{\operatorname{\mathcal{C}at}}\rightarrow s{\operatorname{\mathcal{S}}} is a full embedding of categories. Furthermore, a functor f:C→Df\colon C\rightarrow D is an equivalence of categories if and only if N​fNf is a weak equivalence of simplicial spaces.

[05TZ]

Proof. That NN preserves products is clear.

To show that N⁡(DC)→(N​D)N​CN(D^{C})\rightarrow(ND)^{NC} is an isomorphism, we must show that for each m,n≥0m,n\geq 0 this map induces a one-to-one correspondence between functors [m]×I⁡[n]→DC[m]\times I[n]\rightarrow D^{C} and maps F⁡(m)×Δ⁡[n]→(N​D)N​CF(m)\times\Delta[n]\rightarrow(ND)^{NC}. By (3.8) it will suffice to show this for the case m=n=0m=n=0; that is, to show that functors C→DC\rightarrow D are in one-to-one correspondence with maps N​C→N​DNC\rightarrow ND, or in other words, that N:𝒞​at→s​𝒮N\colon{\operatorname{\mathcal{C}at}}\rightarrow s{\operatorname{\mathcal{S}}} is a full embedding of categories.

To see that NN is a full embedding, note that any map N​C→N​DNC\rightarrow ND is determined by how it acts on the 00th and 11st spaces of N​CNC. The result follows from a straightforward argument using (3.2) and the fact that (d1,d0)(d_{1},d_{0}) is a simplicial covering map such that d1​s0=1=d0​s0d_{1}s_{0}=1=d_{0}s_{0} for both N​CNC and N​DND.

It is immediate that naturally isomorphic functors induce simplicially homotopic maps of simplicial spaces since N⁡(CI⁡[1])≈(N​C)Δ⁡[1]N(C^{I[1]})\approx(NC)^{\Delta[1]} by (3.8), and thus an equivalence of categories induces a weak equivalence of simplicial spaces. To prove the converse, note that (3.9) will show that (N​D)N​C≈N⁡(DC)(ND)^{NC}\approx N(D^{C}) is Reedy fibrant, and in particular Map𝒮⁡(N​C,N​D)≈(N​DN​C)0\Map_{{\operatorname{\mathcal{S}}}}(NC,ND)\approx(ND^{NC})_{0} is a Kan complex. Therefore, if N​f:N​C→N​DNf\colon NC\rightarrow ND is a weak equivalence of simplicial spaces it must be a simplicial homotopy equivalence. Furthermore, the homotopy inverse is a 00-simplex of N​(CD)0N(C^{D})_{0} and the simplicial homotopies are 11-simplices of N​(DC)0N(D^{C})_{0} and N​(CD)0N(C^{D})_{0}; by what we have already shown these correspond precisely to a functor g:D→Cg\colon D\rightarrow C and natural isomorphisms f​g∼1Dfg\sim 1_{D} and g​f∼1Cgf\sim 1_{C}, as desired. ∎

[05U0]

Lemma 3.8. Let CC be a category. Then there are natural isomorphisms

N⁡([m]×C)≈F⁡(m)×N​CandN⁡(CI⁡[n])≈(N​C)Δ⁡[n]N([m]\times C)\approx F(m)\times NC\qquad\text{and}\qquad N(C^{I[n]})\approx(NC)^{\Delta[n]}

of simplicial spaces.

[05U1]

Proof. The first isomorphism follows from the fact that NN preserves products and that N⁡([m])≈F⁡(m)N([m])\approx F(m). The second isomorphism may be derived from the fact that iso⁡(DI⁡[n])≈(iso⁡D)I⁡[n]≈(iso⁡D)[n]\iso(D^{I[n]})\approx(\iso D)^{I[n]}\approx(\iso D)^{[n]} for any category DD, and thus in particular when D=C[m]D=C^{[m]}. ∎

[05U2]

Lemma 3.9. If CC is a category, then N​CNC is a Reedy fibrant simplicial space.

[05U3]

Proof. We must show that

ℓn:(N​C)n≈Maps​𝒮⁡(F⁡(n),N​C)→Maps​𝒮⁡(F˙​(n),N​C)\ell_{n}\colon(NC)_{n}\approx\Map_{s{\operatorname{\mathcal{S}}}}(F(n),NC)\rightarrow\Map_{s{\operatorname{\mathcal{S}}}}(\dot{F}(n),NC)

is a fibration for each n≥0n\geq 0. We have the following cases:

n=0n=0:

(N​C)0=nerve⁡(iso⁡C)(NC)_{0}=\nerve(\iso C) is a Kan complex by (3.2).

n=1n=1:

ℓ1:(N​C)1→(N​C)0×(N​C)0\ell_{1}\colon(NC)_{1}\rightarrow(NC)_{0}\times(NC)_{0} is a simplicial covering space with discrete fiber, and thus is a fibration.

n=2n=2:

ℓ2\ell_{2} is isomorphic to an inclusion of path-components, and so is a fibration.

n≥3n\geq 3:

ℓn\ell_{n} is an isomorphism, and thus a fibration.

∎

Original mathematics by the credited authors. Source collection and HTML conversion remain in progress.

Charles Rezk

Original source: arXiv:math/9811037v3

Original source · math/9811037v3