Relatively divisible and relatively flat objects in exact categories

Abstract

We introduce and study relatively divisible and relatively flat objects in exact categories in the sense of Quillen. For every relative cotorsion pair [Formula: see text] in an exact category [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] coincides with the class of relatively flat objects of [Formula: see text] for some relative projectively generated exact structure, while [Formula: see text] coincides with the class of relatively divisible objects of [Formula: see text] for some relative injectively cogenerated exact structure. We exhibit Galois connections between relative cotorsion pairs in exact categories, relative projectively generated exact structures and relative injectively cogenerated exact structures in additive categories. We establish closure properties and characterizations in terms of the approximation theory.