Dual of a bimodule

As explained in more detail in this blog post linked by Jakob in the comments, every $(A, B)$-bimodule $M$ has two natural duals:

  • If $M$ is finitely generated projective as a left $A$-module, it has a left dual given by the $(B, A)$-bimodule $\text{Hom}_A(M, A)$.
  • If $M$ is finitely generated projective as a right $B$-module, it has a right dual given by the $(B, A)$-bimodule $\text{Hom}_B(M, B)$.

These duals come from thinking of an $(A, B)$-bimodule as a 1-morphism in the Morita 2-category whose

  • objects are rings
  • 1-morphisms are bimodules
  • 2-morphisms are bimodule homomorphisms

and applying the general equational definition of dual or adjoint 1-morphisms in a 2-category given by the zigzag identities (the one which, applied to the 2-category of categories, produces left and right adjoints).


Copied from comments as requested.

There isn't enough context in the question but if you know that $B$ is a projective left $R$-module and nothing else there is a fair chance that you want $\mathrm{Hom}(B,R)$, where $\mathrm{Hom}$ means left $R$-linear maps, with left $R$-module structure coming from the right R-module structure on $B$ --- $(r⋅f)(b)=f(br)$ --- and right $R$-module structure coming from the right $R$-module structure on $R$ --- $(f⋅r)(b)=f(b)r$.