The many faces of higher Hilbert spaces

Abstract: Finite-dimensional operator algebras can be viewed as $\mathrm{C}^*$, $\mathrm{W}^*$, or $\mathrm{H}^*$-algebras, leading to different notions for their categories of modules and correspondence 2-categories. In this article, we show how these differences can be understood systematically using the notion of $G$-dagger category from arXiv:2403.01651 for different subgroups $G\leq O(2)$. To do so, we first introduce $G$-Hermitian $2$-vector spaces using fixed points of a certain $O(2)$-action on $2\mathsf{Vect}$. We then propose criteria for when such pairings are `positive', generalizing the passage from Hermitian vector spaces to Hilbert spaces. Finally, we outline an inductive approach to defining higher Hilbert spaces in arbitrary dimension, suggesting an extension of these ideas beyond the 2-categorical setting.