Dmitri Nikshych

Invariants of knots and 3-manifolds from quantum groupoids

Abstract We use the categories of representations of finite-dimensional quantum groupoids (weak Hopf algebras) to construct ribbon and modular categories that give rise to invariants of knots and 3-manifolds.

Fusion categories and homotopy theory

We apply the yoga of classical homotopy theory to classification problems of G-extensions of fusion and braided fusion categories, where G is a finite group. Namely, we reduce such problems to classification (up to homotopy) of maps from BG to classifiying spaces of certain higher groupoids. In particular, to every fusion category C we attach the 3-groupoid BrPic(C) of invertible C-bimodule categories, called the Brauer-Picard groupoid of C, such that equivalence classes of G-extensions of C are in bijection with homotopy classes of maps from BG to the classifying space of BrPic(C). This gives rise to an explicit description of both the obstructions to existence of extensions and the data parametrizing them; we work these out both topologically and algebraically. One of the central results of the paper is that the 2-truncation of BrPic(C) is canonically the 2-groupoid of braided autoequivalences of the Drinfeld center Z(C) of C. In particular, this implies that the Brauer-Picard group BrPic(C) (i.e., the group of equivalence classes of invertible C-bimodule categories) is naturally isomorphic to the group of braided autoequivalences of Z(C). Thus, if C=Vec(A), where A is a finite abelian group, then BrPic(C) is the orthogonal group O(A+A^*). This allows one to obtain a rather explicit classification of extensions in this case; in particular, in the case G=Z/2, we rederive (without computations) the classical result of Tambara and Yamagami. Moreover, we explicitly describe the category of all (Vec(A1),Vec(A2))-bimodule categories (not necessarily invertible ones) by showing that it is equivalent to the hyperbolic part of the category of Lagrangian correspondences.

Dynamical quantum groups at roots of 1

Given a dynamical twist for a finite dimensional Hopf algebra we construct two weak Hopf algebras, using methods of Xu and Etingof-Varchenko, and show that they are dual to each other. We generalize the theory of dynamical quantum groups to the case when the quantum parameter q is a root of unity. These objects turn out to be self-dual -- which is a fundamentally new property, not satisfied by the usual Drinfeld-Jimbo quantum groups.

Lagrangian Subcategories and Braided Tensor Equivalences of Twisted Quantum Doubles of Finite Groups

We classify Lagrangian subcategories of the representation category of a twisted quantum double Dω(G), where G is a finite group and ω is a 3-cocycle on it. In view of results of [DGNO] this gives a complete description of all braided tensor equivalent pairs of twisted quantum doubles of finite groups. We also establish a canonical bijection between Lagrangian subcategories of Rep(Dω(G)) and module categories over the category

On twisting of finite-dimensional Hopf algebras

{\rm Vec}_{G} ^{\omega}

On fusion categories

of twisted G-graded vector spaces such that the dual tensor category is pointed. This can be viewed as a quantum version of V. Drinfeld’s characterization of homogeneous spaces of a Poisson-Lie group in terms of Lagrangian subalgebras of the double of its Lie bialgebra [D]. As a consequence, we obtain that two group-theoretical fusion categories are weakly Morita equivalent if and only if their centers are equivalent as braided tensor categories.

On braided fusion categories I

We develop the theory of Hopf bimodules for a finite rigid tensor category C. Then we use this theory to define a distinguished invertible object D of C and an isomorphism of tensor functors δ:V**→D⊗**V⊗D−1. This provides a categorical generalization of Radfords S 4 formula for finite-dimensional Hopf algebras (presented in 1976), which was proved by Nikshych (2002) for weak Hopf algebras and by Hausser and Nill (1999) for quasi-Hopf algebras, and was conjectured in general by Etingof and Ostrik (2003). When C is braided, we establish a connection between δ and the Drinfeld isomorphism of C, extending the result of Radford (1992). We also show that a factorizable braided tensor category is unimodular (i.e., D=1). Finally, we apply our theory to prove that the pivotalization of a fusion category is spherical, and give a purely algebraic characterization of exact module categories defined by Etingof and Ostrik (2003).

WEAKLY GROUP-THEORETICAL AND SOLVABLE FUSION CATEGORIES

In this paper we study the properties of Drinfeld’s twisting for finite-dimensional Hopf algebras. We determine how the integral of the dual to a unimodular Hopf algebra H changes under twisting of H . We show that the classes of cosemisimple unimodular, cosemisimple involutive, cosemisimple quasitriangular finite-dimensional Hopf algebras are stable under twisting. We also prove the cosemisimplicity of a coalgebra obtained by twisting of a cosemisimple unimodular Hopf algebra by two different twists on two sides (such twists are closely related to bi-Galois extensions), and describe the representation theory of its dual. Next, we define the notion of a non-degenerate twist for a Hopf algebra H , and set up a bijection between such twists for H and H ∗ . This bijection is based on Miyashita–Ulbrich actions of Hopf algebras on simple algebras. It generalizes to the non-commutative case the procedure of inverting a non-degenerate skew-symmetric bilinear form on a vector space. Finally, we apply these results to classification of twists in group algebras and of cosemisimple triangular finite-dimensional Hopf algebras in positive characteristic, generalizing the previously known classification in characteristic zero.