Dinaturality for Double Categories

In this paper we extend the concept of dinaturality to the setting of double categories. We introduce the dinatural versions of double categorical transformations and modifications, and show that ordinary natural transformations and modifications correspond to dinatural ones between dummy functors. We prove the double categorical generalizations of some classical theorems about dinatural transformations for 1-categories, and extend the surface diagram calculus for the locally cubical Gray category of small double categories to include dinatural constructions. In our motivating example of dinatural constructions we reconstruct the double categorical formulation of mates in terms of dinatural transformations and characterize extranaturality for 1-categories using dinaturality for double categories.