Quasi-pointed exactness and torsion

Abstract

We show that, under some mild assumptions, every quasi-pointed category C carries a canonical near-torsion theory (T,F), where T consists of the 0-supported objects, that is, those admitting a morphism to the initial object 0, and F consists of the subterminal objects. The coreflection and the reflection of an object A are then given by the projection $A \times 0 \to A$ and by the strong-epimorphic part of $A \to 1$, respectively. Using the general construction of the "largest" non-pointed torsion theory associated with a near-torsion theory, we prove that (T,F) is a (non-pointed) torsion theory in the full subcategory of those objects A for which the canonical sequence $t(A) \to A \to f(A)$ is short exact, in the sense that it is both a kernel and a cokernel diagram. This subcategory is the whole of C whenever C is sequentiable, that is, a regular protomodular and quasi-pointed category. We describe the resulting torsion theories in the category of Lie-Rinehart algebras and in the categories of crossed modules over a fixed group. We also show that (T,F) is a torsion theory in the (non-protomodular) category of monoids over a group G all of whose elements have finite order.