The Stacks project

7.36 2-morphisms of topoi

This is a brief section concerning the notion of a $2$-morphism of topoi.

Pictorially we sometimes represent $t$ as follows:

Note that since $f^{-1}$ is adjoint to $f_*$ and $g^{-1}$ is adjoint to $g_*$ we see that $t$ induces also a transformation of functors $t : g^{-1} \to f^{-1}$ (usually denoted by the same symbol) uniquely characterized by the condition that the diagram

commutes. Because of set theoretic difficulties (see Remark 7.15.4) we do not obtain a 2-category of topoi. But we can still define horizontal and vertical composition and show that the axioms of a strict 2-category listed in Categories, Section 4.29 hold. Namely, vertical composition of 2-morphisms is clear (just compose transformations of functors), composition of 1-morphisms has been defined in Definition 7.15.1, and horizontal composition of

is defined by the transformation of functors $s \star t$ introduced in Categories, Definition 4.28.1. Explicitly, $s \star t$ is given by

(these maps are equal). Since these definitions agree with the ones in Categories, Section 4.28 it follows from Categories, Lemma 4.28.2 that the axioms of a strict 2-category hold with these definitions.