A monad consists of an endofunctor and natural transformations and satisfying
An algebra for a monad is with satisfying and . A morphism of algebras for a monad obeys . The functor laws show that identities and composites obey this equation, giving the Eilenberg-Moore category .
For an adjunction , let be its adjunction unit and its adjunction counit. The monad induced by an adjunction is
The two unit laws are and , respectively the two triangle identities for an adjunction.
For associativity, naturality of the adjunction counit at says
Apply to obtain . The composites defining and are natural transformations, so all monad axioms have been checked, not only their underlying objectwise types.
For the monad , an algebra for a monad is with and . A morphism of algebras for a monad satisfies . These objects and arrows form the Eilenberg-Moore category .
The free algebra functor sends to and to . The monad identities verify the algebra laws. For the forgetful functor , the free adjunction is
with inverse . The algebra law makes the latter an monad algebra morphism. The identities and prove the bijection.
In the category of adjunctions inducing a fixed monad, objects are adjunctions with their induced monad identified with . A morphism to is a functor between the right-hand categories satisfying , and compatibility with units and counits. With these strict identifications, define
The triangle identities give the unit algebra law; naturality of at gives the multiplication law. Naturality at makes an monad algebra morphism. Moreover , because , and is the free-adjunction counit at . Hence is a morphism into the Eilenberg-Moore adjunction.
For any other such , its underlying object at must be . Counit compatibility forces its algebra action to be , and the forgetful functor, which is a faithful functor, forces . Thus . This proves terminality of the Eilenberg-Moore adjunction. If adjunctions are specified only up to coherent isomorphisms, the same argument gives uniqueness up to the corresponding compatible natural isomorphism.
Take the definition of an elementary topos as a category with finite limits, exponential objects and a subobject classifier . Its power object is , and is precomposition with . Transposing a predicate on in either variable gives
Thus is left adjoint to the contravariant power-object functor .
Here are the remaining hypotheses for the crude monadicity theorem, obtained from those topos axioms. The unit of this adjunction is , internally . It is monic: if two such evaluations agree, evaluate on the singleton predicate classified by the diagonal to obtain . If is invertible, naturality therefore makes monic. The characteristic map of this mono, regarded as a global element of , pulls back along to the everywhere-true predicate on . Since is monic, that characteristic map was already everywhere true on . The classifier pullback then says that is invertible. Hence is a conservative functor.
It remains to check preservation of reflexive coequalizers in the opposite category. Equivalently, let be a coreflexive pair, with satisfying , and let be their equalizer. Both and are monic. For any mono , there is a direct-image map between power objects: a subobject is sent to its composite with . This uses only classification of monos, not the prior existence of general images or colimits. We have .
For a predicate , consider its direct image along . Its pullbacks along the two sections are
To verify the second equality, with implies after applying , and therefore ; conversely supplies that witness. This argument works for parameterized subobjects as well, so it is an equality of arrows between power objects.
Now if satisfies , then . Hence is its unique factorization through , uniqueness following from the section . Therefore
is a coequalizer. Finite limits supply every required coreflexive equalizer. The right adjoint reflects isomorphisms and preserves the corresponding reflexive coequalizers, so is monadic. In particular is equivalent to the Eilenberg-Moore category of the double-power-object monad on .
Let be a logical functor, and suppose . Preservation of exponentials and the classifier gives , compatibly with the units, counits and resulting monads. Thus is the algebra functor lifting the base functor through the two monadic power-object functors. The adjoint lifting theorem for monad algebra functors applies to the base adjunction : its required coequalizers exist in , because has finite equalizers. It supplies a left adjoint . Taking opposites gives , the required right adjoint to .
Preserving either of the two logical structures by itself is insufficient. For the exponential example take constant at . The constant-empty functor is its left adjoint, since both relevant hom-sets are singletons. Its canonical exponential comparison is , so it preserves exponentials. It has no right adjoint: a functor with a right adjoint would preserve the initial object, whereas .
For the classifier example take to be fixed points. The trivial-action functor is left adjoint to . In a group-action topos the classifier is the trivial-action two-element set, since invariant subsets have ordinary equivariant characteristic maps. Therefore preserves the classifier, its true arrow and the terminal object. But does not preserve the coequalizer of the identity and the nontrivial translation on the regular two-element group set: that coequalizer is , while the fixed-point sets of the domain and codomain of the parallel pair are empty. Their set-theoretic coequalizer is empty, not . Thus has no right adjoint.
A monad consists of an endofunctor and natural transformations and , the unit and multiplication of a monad, satisfying
An algebra for a monad is with satisfying and . A morphism of algebras for a monad satisfies . These objects and morphisms form the Eilenberg-Moore category ; its composition works because is a functor.
For the list monad, is the set of finite ordered lists, including the empty list. The map applies to each entry; and concatenates a list of lists. The unit laws say that adding singleton brackets and then flattening changes nothing. Associativity says that flattening a list of lists of lists in either order produces the same ordered sequence. These descriptions also prove naturality.
If is an algebra for a monad, define
The singleton law gives . Apply the algebra associativity law to and to obtain . Applying it to and shows
Thus is a monoid. Applying the same law to shows inductively that is necessarily ordered multiplication of its entries, with the empty product .
Conversely, any monoid defines such a list-fold map . The monoid unit proves , and associativity and the unit prove that multiplying flattened lists equals multiplying their individual products, including empty sublists. Hence . An algebra morphism preserves the empty-list value and two-entry-list values, so it is a monoid homomorphism; conversely a monoid homomorphism preserves every ordered product and is an algebra morphism. Therefore
Thus list-monad algebras are monoids, with the identification also matching every morphism.
For an algebra for a monad , consider the fork in the Eilenberg-Moore category
Here is the counit at , and . The arrow is an algebra morphism by , which also says that it coequalizes the two arrows.
Let be an algebra morphism with . Define . Naturality of at gives
Since is an algebra morphism,
Thus is an algebra morphism with . Any other such factorization satisfies . This proves the full coequalizer universal property inside the algebra category.
The pair is moreover a reflexive pair: its common section is , with underlying map , because and . Hence every monad algebra is a reflexive coequalizer of free algebras. This reflexive free-algebra presentation of a monad algebra needs no general existence theorem for arbitrary algebra-category colimits.
For the monad define the free algebra functor by
The unit and associativity identities of the monad make an algebra for a monad, and naturality of makes a morphism of algebras for a monad. Let be the forgetful functor. For in the Eilenberg-Moore category, set
The inverse candidate is a monad algebra morphism, since
The two composites are identities:
These use respectively the unit law for a monad algebra, the algebra-morphism equation, and a unit identity of the monad. The formulas commute with precomposition in and postcomposition by monad algebra morphisms, so they form a natural bijection. Therefore the free-algebra functor is left adjoint to forgetting:
Its adjunction unit is , and its adjunction counit at is .
For an adjunction with unit and counit of an adjunction , the monad induced by an adjunction is , with multiplication . Its Eilenberg-Moore comparison functor is
Here is the Eilenberg-Moore category. If has reflexive coequalizers, the Left adjoint to the Eilenberg-Moore comparison functor is defined on an algebra for a monad by
where the last arrow is a coequalizer. The parallel pair has common section , so it is a reflexive pair. The coequalizer property induces on algebra morphisms and gives .
Starting with , iterate this construction: if , put and let be its comparison. The monadic length is the least for which is an equivalence of categories. Thus an equivalence has length zero, and an already monadic adjunction whose right adjoint is not an equivalence has length one. The assumed reflexive coequalizers ensure the needed left adjoints; in the example we identify them explicitly.
For the nested partial unary operation category , write
For the empty list of operations, take and . We use positive chain indices for new points, so the index zero already labels the copy of . This makes the free-object hint independent of the convention for .
For , the free extension of nested partial unary operations has underlying set
Keep the old operations on the zero layer. On new points define only
and leave every , , undefined there. Define the new top operation by
and leave it undefined elsewhere. These are precisely the permitted domains: the first unary operation on every new point moves it, so none of the higher operations is defined there. When , take with . In either case the unit is .
For , let its operations be . Any morphism extends uniquely to
The value is defined because preserves the previous fixed-point equations. The extension respects the top operation at old fixed points and respects the first operation along each new chain; there are no other defined operations on those chains to check. Uniqueness follows from the same forced formulas. For the formula is . These extensions are natural and prove
On a morphism the free functor sends to .
Crucially, the top operation of has no fixed points: its defined old values move to new points, and it has no defined new values when ; for it is the shift. The next free extension therefore adds no points and equips the object with an everywhere-undefined next operation. The same remains true at every subsequent free extension. Hence, for , the composite left adjoint has the same first operations and underlying set as .
This agreement includes the monad structure, not just its underlying endofunctor. The units are the same zero-layer inclusions. The composite counit on an object of is the same forced extension formula, depending only on its first operations. Applying the composite forgetful functor therefore gives the same multiplication . Thus
Next prove creation of the required split coequalizers. Suppose are arrows in and their images have a split coequalizer in . Choose the splitting orientation
with , morphisms in . Denote the top operations on by . For define
Since preserves the lower operations, and this value exists. For , , so preservation by gives
Thus respects the top operation. The splitting and also show that this is the unique operation on its prescribed domain for which is a morphism. For all these domains mean the whole underlying set.
If is a morphism equalizing , its unique factor in satisfies, on ,
where is the top operation of . Hence is a morphism. This proves creates coequalizers of -split pairs.
Moreover, reflects isomorphisms: an isomorphism of the first operations reflects their fixed-point conditions, hence the domain of the next operation; the inverse of a bijective top-operation-preserving map then preserves that operation too. The Beck monadicity theorem now gives
Under this equivalence, the first Eilenberg-Moore comparison functor for the long composite is exactly forgetting all operations after the st: its algebra structure is the top-operation extension formula already computed. Repeating the argument identifies its monadic tower with the successive categories
At each stage the corresponding comparison has the remaining composite of the already constructed free extensions as a left adjoint.
No earlier stage can be an equivalence of categories. For , take the two-point set with its first operations all identities. One extension to has every later operation the identity; another has its st operation interchange the two points, and all subsequent operations undefined. Both have the same image in , but the identity function between those images is not a morphism between the extensions. Thus forgetting from to is not full. The final comparison at is an equivalence. This proves the monadic tower for nested partial unary operations has
An opmonoidal monad on a monoidal category is a monad whose endofunctor is an opmonoidal functor and whose unit and multiplication of a monad are opmonoidal natural transformations. Suppress only the canonical parentheses. Explicitly,
The composite opmonoidal functor has tensor comparison and unit comparison , explaining the last two equations.
For two algebras for a monad and , define
Let . The unit law for a monad algebra follows at once from the opmonoidality of :
For the multiplication law, naturality of , the algebra laws, and the opmonoidality of give
The two unit-comparison equations above similarly make a algebra for a monad. If are morphisms of algebras for a monad, naturality of shows that is an algebra morphism.
For a third algebra , the base associator is also an algebra morphism: its intertwining equation is precisely the opmonoidal associativity axiom, followed by . The two base unitors are algebra morphisms by the opmonoidal unit axioms. Their pentagon and triangle commute because they commute after the faithful forgetful functor, and the lifted maps have exactly the same underlying morphisms.
The Eilenberg-Moore category is therefore monoidal, with these lifted constraints. Its forgetful functor preserves the tensor product, unit object and constraints exactly, so it is a strict monoidal functor.
On the monoidal category of modules over the commutative ring , consider the monad coming from the unit and multiplication of the bialgebra . Its opmonoidal functor structure has comparison maps
Here and below Sweedler notation abbreviates the comultiplication . The opmonoidal associativity and unit axioms are the coassociativity and counit laws of the coalgebra. The unit and multiplication of a monad are opmonoidal natural transformations because the bialgebra axioms say
The Eilenberg-Moore category of this opmonoidal monad is the category of left -modules: a monad-algebra map is exactly a unital associative action.
Applying the preceding construction gives the diagonal bialgebra action and the unit action
The usual associators and unitors for the tensor product of modules are -linear, and the underlying tensor product is exactly . The forgetful functor into -modules is strict monoidal. The base need not be a field; the modules need be neither flat modules nor finitely generated modules.
A monad on is an endofunctor with natural transformations and satisfying
An algebra for a monad is with and . A morphism of algebras for a monad satisfies . These form the Eilenberg-Moore category . Its free algebra functor is , and its adjunction to the forgetful functor has the explicit bijection
Write , , and let be the coproduct in a category injections. Set
Here is an algebra morphism, with underlying multiplication . For an algebra , an algebra morphism corresponds to , and the transposes of are respectively
For the second formula, by naturality of and the monad unit law. Thus exactly when, writing ,
These say precisely that and are morphisms of algebras for a monad. Consequently any coequalizer of represents pairs of algebra morphisms out of and , proving the coproduct presentation for monad algebras:
Its two algebra injections have underlying morphisms and ; the equivalence just proved verifies both the algebra equations and their universal property.
The displayed pair is a reflexive pair, with common section
Indeed by the algebra unit laws, while
Now suppose has all finite colimits and preserves reflexive coequalizers. The permitted creation theorem gives reflexive coequalizers in : the underlying pair is reflexive and its coequalizer exists and is preserved by . The preceding construction therefore gives binary algebra coproducts in a category. The initial object is , since the free algebra functor is a left adjoint and is initial in .
For any algebra pair , the augmented pair
is a reflexive pair, with common section the injection of , and has exactly the same coequalizing morphisms as . Hence all coequalizers exist in . The construction of finite colimits from coproducts and reflexive coequalizers now gives
Use , as required by the formula at zero, and composition of functions as multiplication in . The displayed preserves identities, and for ,
both sides send zero to zero. Thus is a functor on the one-object category.
For the shift monad on order-preserving maps of natural numbers, set
These are order-preserving functions. The equations and hold pointwise, giving the required natural transformations. For the second equation, both sides are zero at , and are for . The two unit laws are . Associativity is checked by
Consequently these maps define a monad. It is not an idempotent monad, since , so cannot be invertible.
An algebra for a monad is a map with and . The first equation forces ; monotonicity then forces . Thus , which satisfies the second equation by the monad associativity law. The Eilenberg-Moore category therefore has exactly one object. Its endomorphisms satisfy , and this equation holds precisely when : evaluate at zero for necessity, and at both sides equal .
The Kleisli comparison functor takes its only object to this only algebra and sends to
It is a bijection from the Kleisli arrows to the algebra endomorphisms, with inverse . It preserves identities and composition by the comparison construction; directly, and . Bijectivity on objects and arrows makes it an isomorphism of categories:
For inducing , the Kleisli comparison functor is always full and faithful, since the adjunction gives
Therefore it is part of an equivalence of categories if and only if every object of is isomorphic to for some .
For an idempotent monad, multiplication is invertible. The unit laws imply . If is an algebra for a monad, then , while naturality of gives
Thus is an isomorphism with inverse . The algebra law says that is a morphism of algebras for a monad from the free algebra to , so every object of the Eilenberg-Moore category is isomorphic to a free algebra. The criterion above yields
An adjunction is equivalently specified by a unit and counit of an adjunction
satisfying the triangle identities
Let have units and counits . The mate correspondence sends to
Conversely, gives
Naturality and the triangle identities show that the two constructions are inverse, yielding the required bijection of natural transformations.
Now let the endofunctor carry a monad and let . Taking right mates turns
into a counit and comultiplication . Since mates reverse composition, the monad unit and associativity laws become the comonad counit and coassociativity laws. Moreover, a map corresponds under the adjunction to a map , and the algebra axioms correspond exactly to the coalgebra axioms. This is the monad on a left adjoint induces a comonad on its right adjoint construction and gives an isomorphism of the two structure categories.
For a monoid , the free--set functor is , and its algebras are precisely left -sets, the objects of . Its right adjoint is . The preceding isomorphism identifies with the Eilenberg-Moore category of coalgebras for the induced comonad on sets, compatibly with the forgetful functor. Therefore
A monad on is an endofunctor with natural transformations
satisfying and . Its Eilenberg-Moore category has algebras for a monad satisfying
and morphisms of algebras for a monad satisfying .
The Kleisli category has the objects of and
Its identity is , while the composite of and is . The free functor into a Kleisli category is the identity on objects and sends to .
On the functor category , postcomposition gives the pointwise monad on a functor category
The monad laws hold componentwise. A -algebra is a functor with a natural transformation whose components are -algebras. Naturality says precisely that every is an algebra morphism. Hence sending to the lifted functor gives an isomorphism, and in particular an equivalence,
On , precomposition gives the precomposition monad on a functor category
A -algebra is a natural transformation satisfying and . From it define by
The two algebra laws say exactly that preserves identities and Kleisli composition, and . Conversely, a factorization gives
where represents a Kleisli arrow . These constructions are inverse on objects and morphisms, so
For with , the monad induced by an adjunction is , with unit the adjunction unit and multiplication . An algebra for a monad is a map satisfying and . The Eilenberg-Moore comparison functor is
and sends a morphism to .
Given a -algebra , form in the coequalizer
The pair is reflexive, with common section , so it exists by hypothesis. A map is equivalently a map equalizing the pair. Under adjunction this is exactly a map satisfying the -algebra homomorphism equation. Hence
naturally, and . Iterating these comparison adjunctions gives the monadic tower; the monadic length is the least number of steps required to reach an equivalence.
For a pair of sets , define
A pair of maps , extends uniquely to a commutative square from this inclusion to any injection , proving that is left adjoint to the forgetful functor .
The induced monad sends to . Its algebra unit laws show that an algebra is precisely an arbitrary function , with no injectivity requirement. Thus its Eilenberg-Moore category is the arrow category , and the comparison functor is the full inclusion of injections into all functions. This inclusion is not an equivalence, so the original adjunction is not monadic. It is reflective: a function maps to its image inclusion . The supplied result that reflections are monadic says that the next comparison is an equivalence. Therefore the original adjunction has monadic length .
For an elementary topos, existence of products in a category indexed by a fixed set is equivalent to existence of the corresponding coproducts in a category. The power-object monadicity equivalence gives the forward direction because Eilenberg-Moore categories create limits. For the converse, the diagonal into the pointwise product category is a logical functor. A coproduct is its left adjoint; the adjoint lifting theorem for monad algebra functors, applied through power-object monadicity, then gives its right adjoint, namely the product. The required reflexive coequalizers on the algebra side are opposites of finite equalizers in the topos.
Every algebra for a monad is the coequalizer, in the Eilenberg-Moore category, of with underlying arrows and , followed by . The pair has common section . If an algebra morphism equalizes the pair, the unique induced algebra morphism is . This explicit proof does not require general colimits of algebras.
A monad morphism induces a functor between Eilenberg-Moore categories, identical on underlying objects and arrows. Its unit equation gives the restricted algebra's unit law. Naturality and the multiplication equation give . Naturality also preserves algebra morphisms.
The free-forgetful adjunction for the Eilenberg-Moore category is terminal in the category of adjunctions inducing a fixed monad. The unique morphism into it is the Eilenberg-Moore comparison functor . Its underlying objects and arrows are forced by the forgetful functor, and counit compatibility forces its algebra actions.