Trace decategorification of categorified quantum sl(2)

Abstract

The trace or the $0$th Hochschild--Mitchell homology of a linear category $\mathcal{C}$ may be regarded as a kind of decategorification of $\mathcal{C}$. We compute traces of the two versions $\dot{\mathcal{U}}$ and $\dot{\mathcal{U}}^*$ of categorified quantum $\mathfrak{sl}_2$ introduced by the third author. One version of the trace coincides with the split Grothendieck group $K_0(\dot{\mathcal{U}})$, which is known to be isomorphic to the the integral idempotented form $\dot{\mathbf{U}}(\mathfrak{sl}_2)$ of quantum $\mathfrak{sl}(2)$. The higher Hochschild--Mitchell homology in this case is zero. The trace of the second version is isomorphic to the idempotented integral form of the current algebra $\mathbf{U}(\mathfrak{sl}_2[t])$.

33 pages, xypic figures