Let
G be a connected reductive algebraic group over an algebraically closed
field
k of characteristic
p>0 and let
ℓ be a prime number different
from
p. Let
U⊂G be a maximal unipotent subgroup, and let
T be a
maximal torus normalizing
U with normalizer
N=NG(T). Let
W=N/T be the
Weyl group of
G. Let
L be a non-degenerate
ℓ-adic
multiplicative local system on
U. In this paper we prove that the
bi-Whittaker category, namely the triangulated monoidal category of
(U,L)-bi-equivariant complexes on
G, is monoidally equivalent to
an explicit thick triangulated monoidal subcategory
DW∘(T)⊂DW(T) of ''
W-equivariant central
sheaves'' on the torus, answering a question raised by Drinfeld. In particular,
the bi-Whittaker category has the structure of a symmetric monoidal category.
We also study a certain thick triangulated monoidal subcategory
DG∘(G)⊂DG(G) of ''vanishing sheaves'' and
prove that it is braided monoidally equivalent to an explicit thick
triangulated monoidal subcategory $\mathscr{D}^\circ_N(T)\subset
\mathscr{D}_N(T)
of′′N$-equivariant central sheaves'' on the torus. The
above equivalence is given by an enhancement of the parabolic restriction
functor restricted to the subcategory
DG∘(G).