nLab internal hom of chain complexes

Context

Homological algebra

homological algebra

and

nonabelian homological algebra

diagram chasing

Theorems

Monoidal categories

monoidal categories

Contents

Idea

A natural internal hom of chain complexes that makes the category of chain complexes into a closed monoidal category.

Definition

Let $R$ be a commutative ring and $\mathcal{A} = R$Mod the category of modules over $R$. Write $Ch_\bullet(\mathcal{A})$ for the category of chain complexes of $R$-modules.

Definition

For $X,Y \in Ch_\bullet(\mathcal{A})$ any two objects, define a chain complex $[X,Y] \in Ch_\bullet(\mathcal{A})$ to have components

$[X,Y]_n := \prod_{i \in \mathbb{Z}} Hom_{R Mod}(X_i, Y_{i+n})$

(the collection of degree-$n$ maps between the underlying graded modules) and whose differential is defined on homogeneously graded elements $f \in [X,Y]_n$ by

$d f := d_Y \circ f - (-1)^{n} f \circ d_X \,.$

This defines a functor

$[-,-] : Ch_\bullet(\mathcal{A})^{op} \times Ch_\bullet(\mathcal{A}) \to Ch_\bullet(\mathcal{A}) \,.$

Properties

Proposition

The collection of cycles of the internal hom $[X,Y]$ in degree 0 coincides with the external hom functor

$Z_0([X,Y]) \simeq Hom_{Ch_\bullet}(X,Y) \,.$

The chain homology of the internal hom $[X,Y]$ in degree 0 coincides with the homotopy classes of chain maps.

Proof

By Definition 1 the 0-cycles in $[X,Y]$ are collections of morphisms $\{f_k : X_k \to Y_k\}$ such that

$f_{k+1} \circ d_X = d_Y \circ f_k \,.$

This is precisely the condition for $f$ to be a chain map.

Similarly, the boundaries in degree 0 are precisely the collections of morphisms of the form

$\lambda_{k+1} \circ d_X + d_Y \circ \lambda_k$

for a collection of maps $\{\lambda_k : X_k \to Y_{k+1}\}$. This are precisely the null homotopies.

References

A standard textbook account is

Revised on August 26, 2012 23:34:01 by Urs Schreiber (89.204.139.66)