Categorified Spectral Sheaves and Homotopical Invariants for Noncommuting Operators

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Chang, Shih-Yu
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Chang, Shih-Yu
author_facet Chang, Shih-Yu
contents Classical spectral theory gives a complete description of a single normal operator, but it fails for noncommuting operators, where no canonical joint spectrum or simultaneous diagonalization exists. Existing approaches provide only partial solutions: joint spectra apply mainly to commuting families, noncommutative geometry emphasizes global invariants that obscure local structure, and topos-theoretic methods capture contextuality while losing higher coherence information. This paper proposes a geometric and higher-categorical reformulation of the spectral problem for noncommuting operators. Local classical spectra associated with commutative subalgebras are organized into a stack-valued object, called a spectral stack, which retains automorphism and unitary equivalence data between contexts. Noncommutativity is thereby interpreted as nontrivial descent data rather than a breakdown of spectral theory. Using homotopical and derived constructions, we define functorial invariants that measure obstructions to global spectral assembly and extend classical index-theoretic ideas. The resulting framework views noncommutative operator algebras as geometric objects equipped with a spectral atlas, providing a concise bridge between operator theory, homotopy theory, and higher geometry.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_17597
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Categorified Spectral Sheaves and Homotopical Invariants for Noncommuting Operators
Chang, Shih-Yu
Category Theory
Operator Algebras
Classical spectral theory gives a complete description of a single normal operator, but it fails for noncommuting operators, where no canonical joint spectrum or simultaneous diagonalization exists. Existing approaches provide only partial solutions: joint spectra apply mainly to commuting families, noncommutative geometry emphasizes global invariants that obscure local structure, and topos-theoretic methods capture contextuality while losing higher coherence information. This paper proposes a geometric and higher-categorical reformulation of the spectral problem for noncommuting operators. Local classical spectra associated with commutative subalgebras are organized into a stack-valued object, called a spectral stack, which retains automorphism and unitary equivalence data between contexts. Noncommutativity is thereby interpreted as nontrivial descent data rather than a breakdown of spectral theory. Using homotopical and derived constructions, we define functorial invariants that measure obstructions to global spectral assembly and extend classical index-theoretic ideas. The resulting framework views noncommutative operator algebras as geometric objects equipped with a spectral atlas, providing a concise bridge between operator theory, homotopy theory, and higher geometry.
title Categorified Spectral Sheaves and Homotopical Invariants for Noncommuting Operators
topic Category Theory
Operator Algebras
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.17597