Are operads algebraic theories?

I describe a generalization of the notion of operadic category due to Batanin and Markl. For each such operadic category I describe a skew monoidal category of collections, such that a monoid in this skew monoidal category is precisely an operad over the operadic category. In fact I describe two skew monoidal categories with this property. The first has the feature that the operadic category can be recovered from the skew monoidal category of collections; the second has the f...

One of the open problems in higher category theory is the systematic construction of the higher dimensional analogues of the Gray tensor product of 2-categories. In this paper we continue the developments of [3] and [2] by understanding the natural generalisations of Gray's little brother, the funny tensor product of categories. In fact we exhibit for any higher categorical structure definable by an n-operad in the sense of Batanin [1], an analogous tensor product which forms...

The purpose of this foundational paper is to introduce various notions and constructions in order to develop the homotopy theory for differential graded operads over any ring. The main new idea is to consider the action of the symmetric groups as part of the defining structure of an operad and not as the underlying category. We introduce a new dual category of higher cooperads, a new higher bar-cobar adjunction with the category of operads, and a new higher notion of homotopy...

Generalized operads, also called generalized multicategories and $T$-monoids, are defined as monads within a Kleisli bicategory. With or without emphasizing their monoidal nature, generalized operads have been considered by numerous authors in different contexts, with examples including symmetric multicategories, topological spaces, globular operads and Lawvere theories. In this paper we study functoriality of the Kleisli construction, and correspondingly that of generalized ...

We propose a new unified framework for Thompson-like groups using a well-known device called operads and category theory as language. We discuss examples of operad groups which have appeared in the literature before. As a first application, we give sufficient conditions for plain operads to yield groups of type $F_\infty$. This unifies and extends existing proofs for certain Thompson-like groups in a conceptual manner.

In this article is studied the construction of free operads functor, for the symmetric and non-symmetric case. In order to do this, the operads are seen as monoids on the differential graded modules category. In the last part we show some properties between the associated functors of this construction that may help to better understand the mechanism in this process.

In this paper, we study conditions for extending Quillen model category properties , between two symmetric monoidal categories, to their associated category of symmetric sequences and of operads. Given a Quillen equivalence $\lambda: \mathcal{C}=Ch_{\Bbbk,t} \leftrightarrows \mathcal{D}: R,$ so that $\mathcal{D}$ is any symmetric monoidal category and the adjoint pair $(\lambda, R)$ is weak monoidal, we prove that the categories of connected operads $Op_\mathcal{C}$ and $Op...

In this paper we study spaces of algebras over an operad (non-symmetric) in symmetric monoidal model categories. We first compute the homotopy fiber of the forgetful functor sending an algebra to its underlying object, extending a result of Rezk. We then apply this computation to the construction of geometric moduli stacks of algebras over an operad in a homotopical algebraic geometry context in the sense of To\"en and Vezzosi. We show under mild hypotheses that the moduli st...

The essential parts of the operad algebra are concisely presented, which should be useful when confronting with the operadic physics. It is also clarified how the Gerstenhaber algebras can be associated with the linear pre-operads (comp algebras). Their relation to mechanics is concisely discussed. A hypothesis that the Feynman diagrams are observables is proposed.

Given a symmetric operad $P$, and a signature (or generating sequence) $\Phi$ for $P$, we define a notion of the "categorification" (or "weakening") of $P$ with respect to $\Phi$. When $P$ is the symmetric operad whose algebras are commutative monoids, with the standard signature, we recover the notion of symmetric monoidal categories. We then show that this categorification is independent (up to equivalence) of the choice of signature.