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We present here definitions and constructions basic for the theory of monoidal and tensor categories. We provide references to the original sources, whenever possible. Group-theoretical categories are used as examples

We classify various types of graded extensions of a finite braided tensor category $\cal B$ in terms of its $2$-categorical Picard groups. In particular, we prove that braided extensions of $\cal B$ by a finite group $A$ correspond to braided monoidal $2$-functors from $A$ to the braided $2$-categorical Picard group of $\cal B$ (consisting of invertible central $\cal B$-module categories). Such functors can be expressed in terms of the Eilnberg-Mac~Lane cohomology. We describe in detail braided $2$-categorical Picard groups of symmetric fusion categories and of pointed braided fusion categories.

We introduce a notion of $n$-commutativity ($0\le n\le \infty$) for cosimplicial monoids in a symmetric monoidal category ${\bf V}$, where $n=0$ corresponds to just cosimplicial monoids in ${\bf V,}$ while $n=\infty$ corresponds to commutative cosimplicial monoids. If ${\bf V}$ has a monoidal model structure we show (under some mild technical conditions) that the total object of an $n$-cosimplicial monoid has a natural $E_{n+1}$-algebra structure. Our main applications are to the deformation theory of tensor categories and tensor functors. We show that the deformation complex of a tensor functor is a total complex of a $1$-commutative cosimplicial monoid and, hence, has an $E_2$-algebra structure similar to the $E_2$-structure on Hochschild complex of an associative algebra provided by Deligne's conjecture. We further demonstrate that the deformation complex of a tensor category is the total complex of a $2$-commutative cosimplicial monoid and, therefore, is naturally an $E_3$-algebra. We make these structures very explicit through a language of Delannoy paths and their noncommutative liftings. We investigate how these structures manifest themselves in concrete examples.

The deformation cohomology of a tensor category controls deformations of its monoidal structure. Here we describe the deformation cohomology of tensor categories generated by one object (the so-called Schur-Weyl categories). Using this description we compute the deformation cohomology of free symmetric tensor categories generated by one object with an algebra of endomorphism free of zero-divisors. We compare the answers with the exterior invariants of the general linear Lie algebra.

We prove that commutative algebras in braided tensor categories do not admit faithful Hopf algebra actions unless they come from group actions. We also show that a group action allows us to see the algebra as the regular algebra in the representation category of the acting group., Comment: 8pages, several figures. v2 minor changes. As sent for publication to Transformation Groups

It was observed recently that for a fixed finite group $G$, the set of all Drinfeld centres of $G$ twisted by 3-cocycles form a group, the so-called group of modular extensions (of the representation category of $G$), which is isomorphic to the third cohomology group of $G$. We show that for an abelian $G$, pointed twisted Drinfeld centres of $G$ form a subgroup of the group of modular extensions. We identify this subgroup with a group of quadratic extensions containing $G$ as a Lagrangian subgroup, the so-called group of Lagrangian extensions of $G$. We compute the group of Lagrangian extensions, thereby providing an interpretation of the internal structure of the third cohomology group of an abelian $G$ in terms of fusion categories.

We compute the group of braided tensor autoequivalences and the Brauer-Picard group of the representation category of the small quantum group $\mathfrak{u}_q(\mathfrak{g})$, where $q$ is a root of unity., Comment: 29 pages, latex

We describe Lagrangian algebras in twisted Drinfeld centres for finite groups. Using the full centre construction, we establish a 1-1 correspondence between Lagrangian algebras and module categories over pointed fusion categories.

Let V be the even part of the vertex operator super-algebra of r pairs of symplectic fermions. Up to two conjectures, we show that V admits a unique holomorphic extension if r is a multiple of 8, and no holomorphic extension otherwise. This is implied by two results obtained in this paper: 1) If r is a multiple of 8, one possible holomorphic extension is given by the lattice vertex operator algebra for the even self dual lattice $D_r^+$ with shifted stress tensor. 2) We classify Lagrangian algebras in SF(h), a ribbon category associated to symplectic fermions. The classification of holomorphic extensions of V follows from 1) and 2) if one assumes that SF(h) is ribbon equivalent to Rep(V), and that simple modules of extensions of V are in one-to-one relation with simple local modules of the corresponding commutative algebra in SF(h).

A modular invariant for a chiral conformal field theory is physical if there is a full conformal field theory with the given chiral halves realising the modular invariant. The easiest modular invariants are the charge conjugation and the diagonal modular invariants. While the charge conjugation modular invariant is always physical there are examples of chiral CFTs for which the diagonal modular invariant is not physical. Here we give (in group theoretical terms) a necessary and sufficient condition for diagonal modular invariants of $G$-orbifolds of holomorphic conformal field theories to be physical. Mathematically a physical modular invariant is an invariant of a Lagrangian algebra in the product of (chiral) modular categories. The chiral modular category of a $G$-orbifold of a holomorphic conformal field theory is the so-called (twisted) Drinfeld centre ${\cal Z}(G,\alpha)$ of the finite group $G$. We show that the diagonal modular invariant for ${\cal Z}(G)$ is physical if and only if the group $G$ has a {\em double class inverting} automorphism, that is an automorphism $\phi:G\to G$ with the property that for any commuting $x,y\in G$ there is $g\in G$ such that $\phi(x) = gx^{-1}g^{-1},\ \phi(y) = gy^{-1}g^{-1}.$ Groups without double class inverting automorphisms are abundant and provide examples of chiral conformal field theories for which the diagonal modular invariant is unphysical., Comment: v.2 a theorem by W. Kantor and V. Ostrik is added. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1312.7466

We prove a tensor equivalence between full subcategories of a) graded matrix factorisations of the potential x^d-y^d and b) representations of the N=2 minimal super vertex operator algebra at central charge 3-6/d, where d is odd. The subcategories are given by a) permutation-type matrix factorisations with consecutive index sets, and b) Neveu-Schwarz-type representations. The physical motivation for this result is the Landau-Ginzburg / conformal field theory correspondence, where it amounts to the equivalence of a subset of defects on both sides of the correspondence. Our work builds on results by Brunner and Roggenkamp [arXiv:0707.0922], where an isomorphism of fusion rules was established., Comment: 29 pages

We give an alternative presentation of braided monoidal categories. Instead of the usual associativity and braiding we have just one constraint (the b-structure). In the unital case, the coherence conditions for a b-structure are shown to be equivalent to the usual associativity, unit and braiding axioms. We also discuss the next dimensional version, that is, b-structures on bicategories. As an application, we show how special b-categories result in the Yang-Baxter equation, and how special b-bicategories produce Zamolodchikov's tetrahedron equation. Finally, we define a cohomology theory (the b-cohomology) which plays a role analogous to the one abelian group cohomology has for braided monoidal categories.

The notion of the center of an algebra over a field k has a far reaching generalization to algebras in monoidal categories. The center then lives in the monoidal center of the original category. This generalization plays an important role in the study of bulk-boundary duality of rational conformal field theories. In this paper, we study functorial properties of the center. We show that it gives rise to a 2-functor from the bicategory of semisimple indecomposable module categories over a fusion category to the bicategory of commutative algebras in the monoidal center of this fusion category. Morphism spaces of the latter bicategory are extended from algebra homomorphisms to certain categories of cospans. We conjecture that the above 2-functor arises from a lax 3-functor between tricategories, and that in this setting one can relax the conditions from fusion categories to finite tensor categories. We briefly outline how one is naturally lead to the above 2-functor when studying rational conformal field theory with defects of all codimensions. For example, the cospans of the target bicategory correspond to spaces of defect fields and to the bulk-defect operator product expansions., Comment: 74 pages, 4 figures

We describe a class of examples of braided monoidal categories which are built from Hopf algebras in symmetric categories. The construction is motivated by a calculation in two-dimensional conformal field theory and is tailored to contain the braided monoidal categories occurring in the study of the Ising model, their generalisation to Tamabara-Yamagami categories, and categories occurring for symplectic fermions., Comment: 7 pages, contribution to the proceedings of the XXIX International Colloquium on Group-Theoretical Methods in Physics (20-26 August 2012, Tianjin, China)

Starting with a self-dual Hopf algebra H in a braided monoidal category S we construct a Z/2Z-graded monoidal category C = C_0 + C_1. The degree zero component is the category Rep_S(H) of representations of H and the degree one component is the category S. The extra structure on H needed to define the associativity isomorphisms is a choice of self-duality map and cointegral, subject to certain conditions. We also describe rigid, braided and ribbon structures on C in Hopf algebraic terms. Our construction permits a uniform treatment of Tambara-Yamagami categories and categories related to symplectic fermions in conformal field theory., Comment: 79 pages (but results summarised in self-contained introduction), numerous hand-crafted string diagrams; v2: reorganised paper according to referee's suggestions and corrected some inaccuracies

In the paper we introduce the notion of twisted derivation of a bialgebra. Twisted derivations appear as infinitesimal symmetries of the category of representations. More precisely they are infinitesimal versions of twisted automorphisms of bialgebras. Twisted derivations naturally form a Lie algebra (the tangent algebra of the group of twisted automorphisms). Moreover this Lie algebra fits into a crossed module (tangent to the crossed module of twisted automorphisms). Here we calculate this crossed module for universal enveloping algebras and for the Sweedler's Hopf algebra.

For a finite braided tensor category we introduce its Picard crossed module consisting of the group of invertible module categories and the group of braided tensor autoequivalences. We describe the Picard crossed module in terms of braided autoequivalences of the Drinfeld center of the braided tensor category. As an illustration, we compute the Picard crossed module of a braided pointed fusion category.

We analyze the structure of the Witt group W of braided fusion categories introduced in the previous paper arXiv:1009.2117v2. We define a "super" version of the categorical Witt group, namely, the group sW of slightly degenerate braided fusion categories. We prove that sW is a direct sum of the classical part, an elementary Abelian 2-group, and a free Abelian group. Furthermore, we show that the kernel of the canonical homomorphism S: W --> sW is generated by Ising categories and is isomorphic to Z/16Z. Finally, we give a complete description of etale algebras in tensor products of braided fusion categories., Comment: 27 pages

This note is intended as an introduction to the functorial formulation of quantum field theories with defects. After some remarks about models in general dimension, we restrict ourselves to two dimensions - the lowest dimension in which interesting field theories with defects exist. We study in some detail the simplest example of such a model, namely a topological field theory with defects which we describe via lattice TFT. Finally, we give an application in algebra, where the defect TFT provides us with a functorial definition of the centre of an algebra. This involves changing the target category of commutative algebras into a bicategory. Throughout this paper, we emphasise the role of higher categories - in our case bicategories - in the description of field theories with defects., Comment: 63 pages, 17 figures. Contribution to the volume "Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Field and Perturbative String Theory" by B. Jurco, H. Sati, U. Schreiber (eds.)

By studying NIM-representations we show that the Fibonacci category and its tensor powers are completely anisotropic; that is, they do not have any non-trivial separable commutative ribbon algebras. As an application we deduce that a chiral algebra with the representation category equivalent to a product of Fibonacci categories is maximal; that is, it is not a proper subalgebra of another chiral algebra. In particular the chiral algebras of the Yang-Lee model, the WZW models of G2 and F4 at level 1, as well as their tensor powers, are maximal.

We give a characterization of Drinfeld centers of fusion categories as non-degenerate braided fusion categories containing a Lagrangian algebra. Further we study the quotient of the monoid of non-degenerate braided fusion categories modulo the submonoid of the Drinfeld centers and show that its formal properties are similar to those of the classical Witt group., Comment: 37 pages; many improvements in exposition thanks to the referee suggestions; new section 3.6; new remarks 3.2, 4.12, 5.2, 5.29

We use category theory to propose a unified approach to the Schur-Weyl dualities involving the general linear Lie algebras, their polynomial extensions and associated quantum deformations. We define multiplicative sequences of algebras exemplified by the sequence of group algebras of the symmetric groups and use them to introduce associated monoidal categories. Universal properties of these categories lead to uniform constructions of the Drinfeld functor connecting representation theories of the degenerate affine Hecke algebras and the Yangians and of its q-analogue. Moreover, we construct actions of these categories on certain (infinitesimal) braided categories containing a Hecke object., Comment: 37 pages, references added

We describe (braided-)commutative algebras with non-degenerate multiplicative form in certain braided monoidal categories, corresponding to abelian metric Lie algebras (so-called Drinfeld categories). We also describe local modules over these algebras and classify commutative algebras with finite number of simple local modules.

Given two two-dimensional conformal field theories, a domain wall -- or defect line -- between them is called invertible if there is another defect with which it fuses to the identity defect. A defect is called topological if it is transparent to the stress tensor. A conformal isomorphism between the two CFTs is a linear isomorphism between their state spaces which preserves the stress tensor and is compatible with the operator product expansion. We show that for rational CFTs there is a one-to-one correspondence between invertible topological defects and conformal isomorphisms if both preserve the rational symmetry. This correspondence is compatible with composition., Comment: 20 pages, 17 figures.

We apply the full centre construction, defined in arXiv:0908.1250, to algebras in and module categories over categories of representations of Hopf algebras. We obtain a compact formula for the full centre of a module algebra over a Hopf algebra.

Motivated by algebraic structures appearing in Rational Conformal Field Theory we study a construction associating to an algebra in a monoidal category a commutative algebra ({\em full centre}) in the monoidal centre of the monoidal category. We establish Morita invariance of this construction by extending it to module categories. As an example we treat the case of group-theoretical categories.

We classify indecomposable commutative separable (special Frobenius) algebras and their local modules in (untwisted) group-theoretical modular categories. This gives a description of modular invariants for group-theoretical modular data. As a bi-product we provide an answer to the question when (and in how many ways) two group-theoretical modular categories are equivalent as ribbon categories.

We characterise algebras commutative with respect to a Yang-Baxter operator (quasi-commutative algebras) in terms of certain cosimplicial complexes. In some cases this characterisation allows the classification of all possible quasi-commutative structures.

We continue the study of twisted automorphisms of Hopf algebras started in "Twisted automorphisms of Hopf algebras". In this paper we concentrate on the group algebra case. We describe the group of twisted automorphisms of the group algebra of a group of order coprime to 6. The description turns out to be very similar to the one for the universal enveloping algebra given in "Twisted automorphisms of Hopf algebras".

Following the analogy between algebras (monoids) and monoidal categories the construction of nucleus for non-associative algebras is simulated on the categorical level. Nuclei of categories of modules are considered as an example.

Twisted homomorphisms of bialgebras are bialgebra homomorphisms from the first into Drinfeld twistings of the second. They possess a composition operation extending composition of bialgebra homomorphisms. Gauge transformations of twists, compatible with adjacent homomorphisms, give rise to gauge transformation of twisted homomorphisms, which behave nicely with respect to compositions. Here we study (gauge classes of) twisted automorphisms of cocommutative Hopf algebras. After revising well-known relations between twists, twisted forms of bialgebras and $R$-matrices (for commutative bialgebras) we describe twisted automorphisms of universal enveloping algebras.