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A Cat-enriched category is exactly a strict 2-category with a set of objects and small hom-categories

Statement

With Cat equipped with its cartesian monoidal structure on small categories, a Cat-enriched category is exactly the same data as a strict 2-category with a set of objects and small hom-categories.

Facts & Assumptions

Given: A Cat-enriched category or, conversely, a strict 2-category with a set of objects and small hom-categories.

[L1]

A V-category consists of a set of objects, hom-objects in the base, enriched composition morphisms, and enriched identities (Enriched category over a monoidal base).

[L2]

A strict 2-category consists of objects, hom-categories, identity 1-morphisms, and horizontally composable functors that are strictly associative and unital (Strict 2-category).

[L3]

The category Cat of small categories is cartesian closed, hence in particular cartesian monoidal on small categories (The category of small categories is cartesian closed).

Proof

technique · direct
1.1L1L2L3given

Assume first that A is enriched in Cat. By [L1], each hom-object A(A,B) is a small category, and the object set of A is already a set. Because the monoidal product in [L3] is the cartesian product, the enriched composition morphism is a functor A(B,C)×A(A,B)→A(A,C), which is exactly horizontal composition on 1-morphisms and 2-morphisms. The identity morphism 1→A(A,A) picks out an object of the hom-category, hence an identity 1-morphism. The enriched associativity and unit diagrams are therefore exactly the strict 2-category axioms of [L2].

1.2L1L2L3algebra

Conversely, let K be a strict 2-category with a set of objects and small hom-categories. Use the hom-categories K(A,B) as the hom-objects. The horizontal-composition functor of [L2] supplies K(B,C)×K(A,B)→K(A,C), and each identity 1-morphism gives a functor 1→K(A,A). Since the tensor product in [L3] is cartesian product, these data satisfy the definition of [L1].

2.1step 1.1step 1.2∎

Steps 1.1 and 1.2 are inverse unpackings of the same data, so the two notions agree exactly.

Depends on

Used by

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Sources