A general limit lifting theorem for 2-dimensional monad theory

Abstract

We give a definition of weak morphism of $T$-algebras, for a $2$-monad $T$, with respect to an arbitrary family $\Omega$ of $2$-cells of the base $2$-category. By considering particular choices of $\Omega$, we recover the concepts of lax, pseudo and strict morphisms of $T$-algebras. We give a general notion of weak limit, and define what it means for such a limit to be compatible with another family of $2$-cells. These concepts allow us to prove a limit lifting theorem which unifies and generalizes three different previously known results of $2$-dimensional monad theory. Explicitly, by considering the three choices of $\Omega$ above our theorem has as corollaries the lifting of oplax (resp. $\sigma$, which generalizes lax and pseudo, resp. strict) limits to the $2$-categories of lax (resp. pseudo, resp. strict) morphisms of $T$-algebras.