Extranatural transformations, adjunctions of two variables and conjugation

TL;DR

This paper explores the concept of extranatural transformations and conjugation in the context of two-variable adjunctions, providing a categorical framework relevant to Grothendieck's six operations and formal category theory.

Contribution

It generalizes conjugation for two-variable adjunctions and applies it to the context of Grothendieck's six operations, using surface diagram notation and monoidal double categories.

Findings

Provides a categorical perspective on conjugation in two-variable adjunctions

Connects the theory to Grothendieck's six operations

Uses surface diagram notation for clarity in three-dimensional compositions

Abstract

Adjunctions of two variables generalize the relationship between tensor product and the internal hom functor in a closed monoidal category. For a pair of ordinary adjunctions $(F\dashv U, F'\dashv U')$ conjugation relates natural transformations of the form $F\Rightarrow F'$ with natural transformations of the form $U' \Rightarrow U$. We look at conjugation for general two variable adjunctions. It is useful in the context of Grothendieck's six operations as we will show that this is an appropriate way to view the constructions of Fausk, Hu and May where they discuss things like the projection formula and internal adjunctions. Extensive use is made of surface diagram notation as this is a helpful way to keep track of the three dimensions of composition. This also places the work in the context of formal category theory as, for instance, closed monoidal categories are defined without reference to objects or morphisms inside them. In an appendix it is explained how an appropriate setting for this perspective is the monoidal double category of functors and profunctors, using the fact that the bicategory of profunctors has duals.