Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2021 / iii / Paper 119 / 2

For an adjoint functor pair $F:\mathcal{D}\rightleftarrows \mathcal{C}:G$, the unit and counit of an adjunction areUnder the adjunction bijection, ${\eta }_A$ corresponds to $1_{FA}$ and ${\epsilon }_B$ corresponds to $1_{GB}$. They satisfy the triangle identitiesConversely, natural transformations with these identities recover the adjunction through the mutually inverse maps

The fully faithful adjoint criterion gives the first equivalence directly. If $F$ is full and faithful, there is a unique $r_A:GFA\to A$ with $F(r_A)={\epsilon }_{FA}$; the triangle identity and faithfulness show that $r_A$ and ${\eta }_A$ are inverse, so the unit is an isomorphism. If the unit is an isomorphism, the displayed adjunction bijection shows thatis bijective, so $F$ is full and faithful. This also proves that either condition gives a natural isomorphism $GF\cong 1_{\mathcal{D}}$.

For the remaining direction, suppose merely that $GF$ is naturally isomorphic to the identity. Transport the monad induced by an adjunction along this isomorphism. Its underlying endofunctor is then the identity, its unit is a natural endomorphism $u:1\Rightarrow 1$, and its multiplication is a natural endomorphism $m:1\Rightarrow 1$ with $mu=1$. Naturality makes $u_A$ commute with $m_A$, so also $um=1$. Hence the transported unit, and therefore $\eta$, is an isomorphism. The three conditions are equivalent.

Now let $F⊣G⊣H$. If $F$ is full and faithful, then $GF\cong 1_{\mathcal{D}}$. For $A,B\in \mathcal{D}$, the two adjunctions give natural bijectionsThe Yoneda lemma therefore gives $GHA\cong A$, naturally in $A$. The fully faithful adjoint criterion applied to $G⊣H$ shows that $H$ is full and faithful. Conversely, if $H$ is full and faithful, then $GH\cong 1_{\mathcal{D}}$ andAnother application of the Yoneda lemma gives $GFA\cong A$, so $F$ is full and faithful. Thus $F$ is full and faithful exactly when $H$ is.

Assume henceforth that $G$ is full and faithful. Then the counit $\epsilon :FG\to 1_{\mathcal{C}}$ and unit $\alpha :1_{\mathcal{C}}\to HG$ are natural isomorphisms. ConsiderApplying the faithful functor $G$, then using naturality and the four triangle identities, turns both composites intoTherefore ${\theta }_1={\theta }_2$; denote their common value by $\theta$, the double-adjoint comparison transformation.

The pointwise monicity criterion is clearest from the following natural square, in which both vertical maps are bijections:The left vertical map is the adjunction $G⊣H$, while the right one precomposes with the isomorphism ${\epsilon }_B:FGB\to B$. Thus every ${\theta }_A$ is a monomorphism exactly when $F$ is faithful on all morphisms $GB\to A$, namely morphisms whose domains lie in the image of $G$.

Dually, the natural squarehas bijective vertical maps, using $F⊣G$ on the left and the isomorphism ${\alpha }_B:B\to HGB$ on the right. Hence every ${\theta }_A$ is an epimorphism exactly when $H$ is faithful on all morphisms $A\to GB$, namely morphisms whose codomains lie in the image of $G$.