In category theory, a traced monoidal category is a category with some extra structure which gives a reasonable notion of feedback.

Definition A traced symmetric monoidal category is a symmetric monoidal category C together with a family of functions

called a trace, satisfying the following conditions:

naturality in : for every and ,

naturality in : for every and ,

dinaturality in : for every and

vanishing I: for every , (with being the right unitor),

vanishing II: for every

superposing: for every and ,

yanking:

(where is the symmetry of the monoidal category).

Properties Every compact closed category admits a trace (see Categorical trace). Given a traced monoidal category C, the Int construction generates the free (in some bicategorical sense) compact closure Int(C) of C.

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