Bicategories of processes

AbstractThe suspension-loop construction is used to define a process in a symmetric monoidal category. The algebra of such processes is that of symmetric monoidal bicategories. Processes in categories with products and in categories with sums are studied in detail, and in both cases the resulting bicategories of processes are equipped with operations called feedback. Appropriate versions of traced monoidal properties are verified for feedback, and a normal form theorem for expressions of processes is proved. Connections with existing theories of circuit design and computation are established via structure preserving homomorphisms