nLab
module over a monad

Idea

Just as the notion of a monad in a bicategory $K$ generalizes that of a monoid in a monoidal category, modules over monoids generalize easily to modules over monads.

Modules over monads, especially in Cat, are also often called algebras for the monad; see below.

Definition

Let $K$ be a bicategory and $t:a\to a$ a monad in $K$ with structure 2-cells $\mu :tt\Rightarrow t$ and $\eta :1_a\Rightarrow t$. Then a left $t$-module is given by a 1-cell $x:b\to a$ and a 2-cell $\lambda :tx\Rightarrow x$, where

$$\begin{array}{ccc}ttx& \stackrel{\mu x}{\to }& tx\\ t\lambda \downarrow & & \downarrow \lambda \\ tx& \underset{\lambda }{\to }& x\end{array}\begin{array}{ccc}x& \stackrel{\eta x}{\to }& tx\\ & 1\searrow & \downarrow \lambda \\ & & x\end{array}$$\array{ t t x & \overset{\mu x}{\to} & t x \\ t\lambda\downarrow & & \downarrow \lambda \\ t x & \underset{\lambda}{\to} & x } \qquad \qquad \array{ x & \overset{\eta x}{\to} & t x \\ & 1\searrow & \downarrow \lambda \\ & & x }

commute. Similarly, a right $t$-module is given by a 1-cell $y:a\to c$ and a 2-cell $\rho :yt\Rightarrow y$, with commuting diagrams as above with $y$ on the left instead of $x$ on the right.

Clearly, a right $t$-module in $K$ is the same thing as a left $t$-module in $K^{\mathrm{op}}$. A left $t$-comodule or coalgebra is then a left $t$-module in $K^{\mathrm{co}}$, and a right $t$-comodule is a left $t$-module in $K^{\mathrm{coop}}$.

A $t$-module of any of these sorts is a fortiori an algebra over the underlying endomorphism $t$.

Bimodules

Given monads $s$ on $b$ and $t$ on $a$, an $s,t$-bimodule is given by a 1-cell $x:b\to a$, together with the structures of a right $s$-module $\rho :xs\Rightarrow x$ and a left $t$-module $\lambda :tx\Rightarrow x$ that are compatible in the sense that the diagram

$$\begin{array}{ccc}txs& \stackrel{t\rho }{\to }& tx\\ \lambda s\downarrow & & \downarrow \lambda \\ xs& \underset{\rho }{\to }& x\end{array}$$\array{ t x s & \overset{t\rho}{\to} & t x \\ \lambda s \downarrow & & \downarrow \lambda \\ x s & \underset{\rho}{\to} & x }

commutes. Such a bimodule may be written as $x:s⇸t$.

A morphism of left $t$-modules $(x,\lambda )\to (x\prime ,\lambda \prime )$ is given by a 2-cell $\alpha :x\Rightarrow x\prime$ such that $\lambda \prime \circ t\alpha =\alpha \circ \lambda$. Similarly, a morphism of right $t$-modules $(y,\rho )\to (y\prime ,\rho \prime )$ is $\beta :y\Rightarrow y\prime$ such that $\rho \prime \circ \alpha s=\alpha \circ \rho$. A morphism of bimodules $(x,\lambda ,\rho )\to (x\prime ,\lambda \prime ,\rho \prime )$ is given by $\alpha :x\Rightarrow x\prime$ that is a morphism of both left and right modules.

More abstractly, the monads $s$ and $t$ in $K$ give rise to ordinary monads $s^{*}$ and $t_{*}$ on the hom-category $K(b,a)$, by pre- and post-composition. The associativity isomorphism of $K$ then gives rise to an invertible distributive law between these, so that the composite $s^{*}{t}_{*}\cong t_{*}{s}^{*}:x\mapsto txs$ is again a monad. Then the category ${\mathrm{Mod}}_K(s,t)$ of bimodules from $s$ to $t$ is the ordinary Eilenberg--Moore category $K(b,a{)}^{s^{*}{t}_{*}}$.

Algebras for monads in Cat

If $K=\mathrm{Cat}$ and $(T,\eta ,\mu )$ is a monad on a category $C$, then a left $T$-module $A:1\to C$, where $1$ is the terminal category, is usually called a $T$-algebra: it is given by an object $A\in C$ together with a morphism $\alpha :TA\to A$, such that

$$\begin{array}{ccc}T(T(A))& \stackrel{{\mu }_A}{\to }& T(A)\\ T(\alpha )\downarrow & & \downarrow \alpha \\ T(A)& \stackrel{\alpha }{\to }& A\end{array}$$\array { T(T(A)) & \stackrel{\mu_A}\rightarrow & T(A) \\ T(\alpha) \downarrow & & \downarrow \alpha \\ T(A) & \stackrel{\alpha}\rightarrow & A }

and

$$\begin{array}{ccc}A& \stackrel{{\eta }_A}{\to }& T(A)\\ & {\mathrm{id}}_A\searrow & \downarrow \alpha \\ & & A\end{array}$$\array { A & \stackrel{\eta_A}\rightarrow & T(A) \\ & id_A \searrow & \downarrow \alpha \\ & & A }

commute.

In particular, every algebra over a monad $(T,\eta ,\mu )$ in $\mathrm{Cat}$ has the structure of an algebra over the underlying endofunctor $T$.

$T$-algebras can also be defined as left modules over $T$ qua monoid in $\mathrm{End}(C)$. There the object $A$ is represented by the constant endofunctor at $A$.

The Eilenberg-Moore category of $T$ is the category of these algebras. It has a universal property that allows the notion of Eilenberg-Moore object to be defined in any bicategory.

Tensor product

Given bimodules $x\prime :r⇸s$ and $x:s⇸t$, where $r,s,t$ are monads on $c,b,a$ respectively, we may be able to form the tensor product $x{\otimes }_{s}x\prime :r⇸t$ just as in the case of bimodules over rings. If the hom-categories of the bicategory $K$ have reflexive coequalizers that are preserved by composition on both sides, then the tensor product is given by the reflexive coequalizer in $K(c,a)$

$$\begin{array}{cccc}xsx\prime & \overrightarrow{\to }& xx\prime & \to x{\otimes }_{s}x\prime \end{array}$$\array{ x s x' & \overset{\to}{\to} & x x' & \to x \otimes_s x' }

where the parallel arrows are the two induced actions $\rho x\prime$ and $x\lambda$ on $s$. Indeed, under the hypothesis on $K$ the forgetful functor ${\mathrm{Mod}}_K(r,t)=K(c,a{)}^{r^{*}{t}_{*}}\to K(c,a)$ reflects reflexive coequalizers, because the monad $r^{*}{t}_{*}$ preserves them, and so $x{\otimes }_{s}x\prime$ is an $r,t$-bimodule.

If $K$ satisfies the above conditions then there is a bicategory $\mathrm{Mod}(K)$ consisting of monads, bimodules and bimodule morphisms in $K$. The identity module on a monad $t$ is $t$ itself, and the unit and associativity conditions follow from the universal property of the above coequalizer. There is a lax forgetful functor $\mathrm{Mod}(K)\to K$, with comparison morphisms $1_a\to t$ the unit of $t$, and $xx\prime \to x{\otimes }_{s}x\prime$ the coequalizer map.

Examples

If $K=\mathrm{Span}(\mathrm{Set})$, the bicategory of spans of sets, then a monad in $K$ is precisely a small category. Then $\mathrm{Mod}(K)=\mathrm{Prof}$, the category of small categories, profunctors and natural transformations.

More generally, $\mathrm{Mod}(\mathrm{Span}(C))$, for $C$ any category with coequalizers and pullbacks that preserve them, consists of internal categories in $C$, together with internal profunctors between them and transformations between those.

Related concepts

• algebra over a monad, algebra over an endofunctor, coalgebra over an endofunctor, algebra over a profunctor

  ∞-algebra over an (∞,1)-monad

  • model structure on algebras over a monad

• algebra over an algebraic theory

  ∞-algebra over an (∞,1)-algebraic theory

  • homotopy T-algebra / model structure on simplicial T-algebras

• algebra over an operad

  ∞-algebra over an (∞,1)-operad

  • model structure on algebras over an operad

References

• John Isbell, Generic algebras Transactions of the AMS, vol 275, number 2 (pdf)

Discussion of model category structures on categories of coalgebras over comonads is in

• Kathryn Hess, Brooke Shipley, The homotopy theory of coalgebras over a comonad (arXiv:1205.3979)