On the (algebraic) notion of 2-ring

Abstract

By a 2-ring we mean a groupoid with a structure analogous to that of a ring, up to coherent isomorphisms. Two different notions of 2-ring appear in the literature: the notion of {\em Ann-category}, due to Quang, and the notion of {\em categorical ring}, due to Jibladze and Pirashvili. The underlying data are the same in both cases, but the required axioms differ. In this note, we clarify the relationship between these notions by explaining why an additional axiom must be imposed for the two notions to be equivalent. Essential to this analysis is an equivalent description of a symmetric monoidal category.