Clifford and Weyl algebras in symmetric tensor categories

Abstract

Let $\mathcal C$ be a symmetric tensor category over an algebraically closed field $\mathbf k$ of characteristic $\ne 2$. We study Clifford and Weyl algebras of objects of $\mathcal C$ with a (skew-)symmetric bilinear form. When the form is non-degenerate, we establish simplicity and the Azumaya property for such algebras under suitable assumptions. We also compute Clifford and Weyl algebras in the Verlinde category ${\rm Ver}_p$ and use them to prove that if $\mathcal C$ is Frobenius exact then the Weyl algebra of a symplectic object of $\mathcal C$ with finite symmetric algebra is Azumaya. Using this, we introduce the symplectic Witt group $\mathcal S\mathcal W(\mathcal C)$, the subgroup of the Brauer group ${\rm Br}(\mathcal C)$ consisting of Morita classes of such Azumaya algebras, and when $\mathcal C={\rm Rep}(G)\boxtimes{\rm sVec}$ for a finite group $G$ of order coprime to ${\rm char}(\mathbf k)$, express $\mathcal S\mathcal W(\mathcal C)$ in terms of second Stiefel-Whitney classes of orthogonal representations of $G$.