On definable subcategories

Abstract

Let $\mathcal{X}$ be a skeletally small additive category. Using the canonical equivalence between two different presentations of the free abelian category over $\mathcal{X}$, we give a new and simple characterization of definable subcategories of $\rm Mod\text{-}\mathcal{X}$, and in particular definable subcategories of modules over rings. In the end, we give a conceptual proof of Auslander-Gruson-Jensen duality, which makes the duality between definable subcategories of left and right module more transparent.