Intercategories: A framework for three-dimensional category theory

Abstract

We show how the notion of intercategory encompasses a wide variety of three-dimensional structures from the literature, notably duoidal categories, monoidal double categories, cubical bicategories, double bicategories and Gray categories. Variations on the notion of span provide further examples of interest, an important one being the intercategory of sets. We consider the three kinds of morphism of intercategory as well as the cells binding them with applications to the above structures. In particular hom functors are studied.