Consider the categories $\mathbf{Vect}$ of vector spaces $X$ with linear maps and $\mathbf{TopVect}$ of topological vector spaces $(X, \tau)$ with continuous linear maps both over $\mathbb{R}$.
Taking the algebraic dual is a contravariant functor $* : \mathbf{Vect} \to \mathbf{Vect}$ with $X \mapsto X^*$ and $(f : X \to Y) \mapsto (f^* : Y^* \to X^*)$ (the transpose of $f$) with $(f^*(y^*))(x) := y^*(f(x))$.
Similarly, it is also clear that taking the topological dual leads to a contravariant functor $' : \mathbf{TopVect} \to \mathbf{Vect}$ with $X \mapsto X'$ and $(f : X \to Y) \mapsto (f' : Y' \to X')$ with $(f'(y'))(x) := y'(f(x))$. In order to see that this is indeed a functor it is enough to observe that $f'$ is just $f^*$ restricted to $Y' \subseteq Y^*$ and is well-defined, i.e. $f^*|_{Y'} \subseteq X'$ due to continuity of $f$.
We can also consider the "taking the weak* topological dual" as the contravariant functor $'_\sigma : \mathbf{TopVect} \to \mathbf{TopVect}$ with $X \mapsto X'_\sigma$ and $(f : X \to Y) \mapsto (f' : Y' \to X')$ with $(f'(y'))(x) := y'(f(x))$. Clearly, $'_\sigma$ is well-defined, i.e. $X'_\sigma$ is an object in $\mathbf{TopVect}$ and $f'$ is a morphism in $\mathbf{TopVect}$ since $f'$ is continuous (and linear) by the choice of the weak-* topology on both $X'$ and $Y'$. Similarly, one can also consider more general functors equipping $X'$ with some vector space topology type $\tau_{\text{source}}$ and $Y'$ with a topology type $\tau_{\text{target}}$ such that all the $f'$ are continuous.
Questions:
Is it possible to decompose the $'_\sigma$-functor into $'_\sigma = E_\sigma \circ \, '$ where $E_\sigma$ is some kind of "equip with the weak* topology" functor? The problem is, that we loose information about the space $X$ when performing $'$, but we need $X$ in order to define $E_\sigma$. One plausible solution is to redefine $'$ to $\bar{'} := (', id) : \mathbf{TopVect} \to \mathbf{TopVect} \times \mathbf{Vect}$, $X \mapsto (X', X)$ and set $E_\sigma : im(\bar{'}) \to \mathbf{TopVect}$ that sends the pair $(X', X)$ to the topological vector space $(X', \sigma(X', X))$ where $im(\bar{'})$ is the particular subcategory of $\mathbf{TopVect} \times \mathbf{Vect}$ that we can reach by $\bar{'}$. This construction seems to be rather ugly and artificial. Maybe there is a better description for such a decomposition.
All these "take some top. dual functors" seem to be special instances of the "take the algebraic dual" functor. Is there a better more abstract point of view for such a relation?
:)
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