Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2013 / iii / Paper 18 / 3 / b

Construct pointwise limits in a functor category. For $H:\mathcal{J}\to [\mathcal{D},\mathcal{C}]$, choose at each object $d$ a categorical limit $L(d)$ of $j\mapsto H_j(d)$, with projections $p_j(d)$. For $u:d\to d^{\prime }$, the family $H_j(u)p_j(d)$ is compatible; define $L(u)$ uniquely byThe universal property gives $L(1_d)=1_{L(d)}$ and $L(vu)=L(v)L(u)$, since those equalities hold after every projection. Thus $L$ is a functor, and each $p_j:L\Rightarrow H_j$ is a natural transformation.

For any categorical cone $(M,(a_j))$, the pointwise categorical limits give unique maps $a(d):M(d)\to L(d)$. To check naturality, compose $L(u)a(d)$ and $a(d^{\prime })M(u)$ with every $p_j(d^{\prime })$; both become $H_j(u)a_j(d)=a_j(d^{\prime })M(u)$. The projections distinguish arrows into their categorical limit, so the two maps agree. Componentwise uniqueness gives uniqueness of the natural transformation $a$. This proves that $(L,p_j)$ really is the required categorical limit, rather than merely a family of objectwise candidates.

A specified categorical limit categorical cone in ${\mathcal{C}}^{\mathrm{ob}\mathcal{D}}$ fixes these objectwise vertices and projections. The displayed equation forces every arrow $L(u)$, and the argument forces every categorical cone factorization. Hence the forgetful functor uniquely lifts that categorical cone and is a limit-creating functor. The construction only takes small categorical limits in $\mathcal{C}$; it does not require $\mathcal{D}$ to be small. As usual, the functor categories are understood in a universe where their collections of transformations are meaningful.