A form of Beck's monadicity theorem compatible with equivalence-based monadic adjunctions is this. A functor is monadic exactly when it has a left adjoint, is a conservative functor, and has coequalizers of all pairs whose images under admit a split coequalizer, with preserving these coequalizers. In the strict lifting formulation, one states creation of these coequalizers. Such a pair is a functor-split coequalizer pair; the splitting is required in the base category, not necessarily upstairs.
A split coequalizer fork has maps and such that
Every functor preserves this coequalizer: if , then , and is split epic, so the factor through is unique. The same equations remain true after applying any functor.
For necessity, let be the monad algebra forgetful functor. It has the free-algebra left adjoint. It reflects isomorphisms, because if an algebra map is invertible in , the equation rearranges to .
If two algebra maps have an underlying split coequalizer , then and are also coequalizers. Since equalizes , there is a unique satisfying
After composing with the epimorphism , the equation reduces to the unit law for . After composing with the epimorphism , the equation reduces to . Thus is an algebra and an algebra map. If an algebra map equalizes , its unique underlying factor satisfies : this follows by precomposing with the epimorphism . Therefore this is a coequalizer upstairs as well. This proves that the monad algebra forgetful functor creates split coequalizers. The same properties transport through the comparison equivalence of categories, with the object-lifting convention distinguished in Question 9.
For sufficiency, suppose the three conditions hold, choose , and let with comparison . For each algebra , consider the pair
Its image has coequalizer . It is split: take , , , and . The monad and algebra laws give
By hypothesis the pair has a coequalizer and is also a coequalizer. Identify with using the unique coequalizer isomorphism, so . Since is carried by to an algebra map from the free algebra, the transported action satisfies
But is a split epimorphism, with right inverse , so . Hence : the comparison is essentially surjective.
Next, for every , put . The counit of an adjunction coequalizes
This follows from naturality of the counit. The image pair has the split coequalizer , as above. If is the hypothesized preserved coequalizer, the induced map has invertible because both and coequalize the same pair. Conservativity makes invertible. Therefore itself is a coequalizer.
Let be an algebra map, so . Set . Under the adjunction transpose bijection, the two composites of with the displayed presentation pair correspond respectively to and . They are equal, so factors uniquely through , giving with . Applying yields
Since is split epic, . Thus is full. If , the transposes of and are equal, so those composites agree. The counit is epic, hence ; thus is faithful.
The comparison is full, faithful and essentially surjective, so it is an equivalence of categories. This proves monadicity. The argument also explains the role of each hypothesis: split base presentations construct all algebras, and reflection of isomorphisms turns the counit presentations into actual coequalizers upstairs.
For , a functor-split coequalizer pair is a parallel pair such that its image admits a split coequalizer in . In one orientation this means morphisms , and satisfy
These equations prove that is a coequalizer: if , then , so factors ; uniqueness follows from . They remain true under every functor, making a split coequalizer an absolute colimit.
To say that reflects such coequalizers means that any fork in whose image is a split coequalizer is itself a coequalizer in . This is a reflection assertion about an existing fork; it does not by itself require lifting every split fork from , or creating its splitting maps in .
A functor-split coequalizer pair for is a parallel pair in whose image has a split coequalizer in . Explicitly there are , , with
These equations give the coequalizer property: if , then , and is split epic so the factor through it is unique. Every functor preserves such a split diagram, since it preserves these equations.
Reflection means that, for such a pair, any existing arrow whose image is a coequalizer is itself a coequalizer in . A coequalizer of the image pair is isomorphic to the specified split one and inherits its splitting. This is reflection of an existing quotient, not an assertion that every base quotient has a lift.