We initiate a systematic study of the perfection of affine group schemes of finite type over fields of positive characteristic. The main result intrinsically characterises and classifies the perfections of reductive groups and obtains a bijection with the set of classifying spaces of compact connected Lie groups topologically localised away from the characteristic. We also study the representations of perfectly reductive groups. We establish a highest weight classification of simple modules, the decomposition into blocks, and relate extension groups to those of the underlying abstract group.

We prove a constructive existence theorem for abelian envelopes of non-abelian monoidal categories. This establishes a new tool for the construction of tensor categories. As an example we obtain new proofs for the existence of several universal tensor categories as conjectured by Deligne. Another example constructs interesting tensor categories in positive characteristic via tilting modules for ${\rm SL}_2$.

Given a monoidal category $\mathcal C$ with an object J, we construct a monoidal category $\mathcal C[{J^ \vee }]$ by freely adjoining a right dual ${J^ \vee }$ to J. We show that the canonical strong monoidal functor $\Omega :\mathcal C \to \mathcal C[{J^ \vee }]$ provides the unit for a biadjunction with the forgetful 2-functor from the 2-category of monoidal categories with a distinguished dual pair to the 2-category of monoidal categories with a distinguished object. We show that $\Omega :\mathcal C \to \mathcal C[{J^ \vee }]$ is fully faithful and provide coend formulas for homs of the form $\mathcal C[{J^ \vee }](U,\,\Omega A)$ and $\mathcal C[{J^ \vee }](\Omega A,U)$ for $A \in \mathcal C$ and $U \in \mathcal C[{J^ \vee }]$. If ${\rm{N}}$ denotes the free strict monoidal category on a single generating object 1, then ${\rm{N[}}{{\rm{1}}^ \vee }{\rm{]}}$ is the free monoidal category Dpr containing a dual pair – ˧ + of objects. As we have the monoidal pseudopushout $\mathcal C[{J^ \vee }] \simeq {\rm{Dpr}}{{\rm{ + }}_{\rm{N}}}\mathcal C$, it is of interest to have an explicit model of Dpr: we provide both geometric and combinatorial models. We show that the (algebraist’s) simplicial category Δ is a monoidal full subcategory of Dpr and explain the relationship with the free 2-category Adj containing an adjunction. We describe a generalization of Dpr which includes, for example, a combinatorial model Dseq for the free monoidal category containing a duality sequence X0 ˧ X1 ˧ X2 ˧ … of objects. Actually, Dpr is a monoidal full subcategory of Dseq.

We solve two problems in representation theory for the periplectic Lie superalgebra $\mathfrak{p}\mathfrak{e}(n)$, namely, the description of the primitive spectrum in terms of functorial realisations of the braid group and the decomposition of category ${\mathcal{O}}$ into indecomposable blocks.

To solve the first problem, we establish a new type of equivalence between category ${\mathcal{O}}$ for all (not just simple or basic) classical Lie superalgebras and a category of Harish-Chandra bimodules. The latter bimodules have a left action of the Lie superalgebra but a right action of the underlying Lie algebra. To solve the second problem, we establish a BGG reciprocity result for the periplectic Lie superalgebra.

We propose a generalisation for the notion of the centre of an algebra in the setup of algebras graded by an arbitrary abelian group $G$. Our generalisation, which we call the $G$-centre, is designed to control the endomorphism category of the grading shift functors. We show that the $G$-centre is preserved by gradable derived equivalences given by tilting modules. We also discuss links with existing notions in superalgebra theory.