arXiv:1001.0040v2 [math-ph] 16 Sep 2010COURANT ALGEBROIDS FROM CATEGORIFIED SYMPLECTIC GEOMETRY CHRISTOPHER L. ROGERS Abstract. In categorified symplectic geometry, one studies the cate- gorified algebraic and geometric structures that naturally arise on man- ifolds equipped with a closed nondegenerate ( n+ 1)-form. The case relevant to classical string theory is when n= 2 and is called ‘2-plectic geometry’. Just as the Poisson bracket makes the smooth func tions on a symplectic manifold into a Lie algebra, there is a Lie 2-alg ebra of observables associated to any 2-plectic manifold. String t heory, closed 3-forms and Lie 2-algebras also play important roles in the t heory of Courant algebroids. Courant algebroids are vector bundles which gen- eralize the structures found in tangent bundles and quadrat ic Lie alge- bras. It is known that a particular kind of Courant algebroid (called an exact Courant algebroid) naturally arises in string theory , and that such an algebroid is classified up to isomorphism by a closed 3-for m on the base space, which then induces a Lie 2-algebra structure on t he space of global sections. In this paper we begin to establish precise connections between 2-plectic manifolds and Courant algebroids. We pro ve that any manifold Mequipped with a 2-plectic form ωgives an exact Courant algebroid EωoverMwithˇSevera class [ ω], and we construct an embed- ding of the Lie 2-algebra of observables into the Lie 2-algeb ra of sections ofEω. We then show that this embedding identifies the observables as particular infinitesimal symmetries of Eωwhich preserve the 2-plectic structure on M. 1.Introduction The underlying geometric structures of interest in categor ified symplectic geometry are multisymplectic manifolds: manifolds equipp ed with a closed, nondegenerate form of degree ≥2 [8]. This kind of geometry originated in the work of DeDonder [10] and Weyl [24] on the calculus of vari ations, and more recently has been used as a formalism to investigate cla ssical field the- ories [11, 12, 13]. In this paper, we call a manifold ‘ n-plectic’ if it is equipped with a closed nondegenerate ( n+ 1)-form. Hence ordinary symplectic ge- ometry corresponds to the n= 1 case, and the corresponding 1-dimensional field theory is just the classical mechanics of point particl es. In general, examples of n-plectic manifolds include phase spaces suitable for descr ibing n-dimensional classical field theories. We will be primarily concerned with Date: October 29, 2018. This work was partially supported by a grant from The Foundat ional Questions Institute. 12 CHRISTOPHER L. ROGERS then= 2case. Thisis the firstreally new case of n-plectic geometry andthe corresponding 2-dimensional field theories of interest inc lude bosonic string theory. Indeed, just as the phase space of the classical part icle is a mani- fold equipped with a closed, nondegenerate 2-form, the phas e space of the classical string is a finite-dimensional manifold equipped with a closed non- degenerate 3-form. This phase space is often called the ‘mul tiphase space’ of the string [11] in order to distinguish it from the infinite -dimensional symplectic manifolds that are used as phase spaces in string field theory [6]. In classical mechanics, the relevant mathematical structu res are not just geometric, butalsoalgebraic. Thesymplecticformgives th espaceofsmooth functions the structure of Poisson algebra. Analogously, i n classical string theory, the 2-plectic form induces a bilinear skew-symmetr ic bracket on a particular subspace of differential 1-forms, which we call H amiltonian. The Hamiltonian 1-forms and smooth functions form the under lying chain complex of an algebraic structure known as a semistrict Lie 2 -algebra. A semistrict Lie 2-algebra can be viewed as a categorified Lie a lgebra in which the Jacobi identity is weakened and is required to hold only u p to isomor- phism. Equivalently, it can be described as a 2-term L∞-algebra, i.e. a generalization of a 2-term differential graded Lie algebra in which the Ja- cobi identity is only satisfied up to chain homotopy [1, 14]. J ust as the Poisson algebra of smooth functions represents the observa bles of a system of particles, it has been shown that the Lie 2-algebra of Hami ltonian 1-forms contains the observables of the classical string [2]. In gen eral, ann-plectic structure will give rise to a L∞-algebra on an n-term chain complex of dif- ferential forms in which the ( n−1)-forms correspond to the observables of ann-dimensional classical field theory [15]. Many of the ingredients found in 2-plectic geometry are also found in the theory of Courant algebroids, which was also developed b y generalizing structures found in symplectic geometry. Courant algebroi ds were first used by Courant [9] to study generalizations of pre-symplectic a nd Poisson struc- tures in the theory of constrained mechanical systems. Roug hly, a Courant algebroid is a vector bundle that generalizes the structure of a tangent bun- dle equipped with a symmetric nondegenerate bilinear form o n the fibers. In particular, the underlying vector bundle of a Courant alg ebroid comes equipped with a skew-symmetric bracket on the space of globa l sections. However, unlike the Lie bracket of vector fields, the bracket need not satisfy the Jacobi identity. In a letter to Weinstein, ˇSevera [20] described how a certain type of Courant algebroid, known as an exact Courant algebroid, app ears naturally when studying 2-dimensional variational problems. In clas sical string the- ory, the string can be represented as a map φ: Σ→Mfrom a 2-dimensional parameter space Σ into a manifold Mcorresponding to space-time. The imageφ(Σ) is called the string world-sheet. The map φextremizes the inte- gral of a 2-form θ∈Ω2(M) over its world-sheet. Hence the classical string is a solution to a 2-dimensional variational problem. The 2- formθis calledCOURANT ALGEBROIDS FROM CATEGORIFIED SYMPLECTIC GEOMETRY 3 the Lagrangian and depends on elements of the first jet bundle of the trivial bundleΣ ×M. TheLagrangian isnotunique. A solution φremainsinvariant if an exact 1-form or ‘divergence’ is added to θ. It is, in fact, the 3-form dθ that is relevant. Inthiscontext, ˇSeveraobserved that the3-form dθuniquely specifies (up to isomorphism) the structure of an exact Coura nt algebroid overM. The general correspondence between exact Courant algebro ids and closed 3-forms on the base space was further developed by ˇSevera, and also by Bressler and Chervov [4], to give a complete classificatio n. An exact Courant algebroid over Mis determined up to isomorphism by its ˇSevera class: an element [ ω] in the third de Rham cohomology of M. Just as in 2-plectic geometry, the underlying geometric str ucture of a Courant algebroid has an algebraic manifestation. Roytenb erg and Wein- stein [16] showed that the bracket on the space of global sect ions induces anL∞structure. If we are considering an exact Courant algebroid , then the global sections can be identified with ordered pairs of ve ctor fields and 1-forms on the base space. Roytenberg and Weinstein’s resul ts imply that these sections, when combined with the smooth functions on t he base space, form a semistrict Lie 2-algebra [23]. Moreover, the bracket of the Lie 2- algebra is determined by a closed 3-form corresponding to a r epresentative of theˇSevera class [21]. Thus there are striking similarities between 2-plectic man ifolds and ex- act Courant algebroids. Both originate from attempts to gen eralize certain aspects of symplectic geometry. Both come equipped with a cl osed 3-form that gives rise to a Lie 2-algebra structure on a chain comple x consisting of smooth functions and differential 1-forms. In this paper, w e prove that there is indeed a connection between the two. We show that any manifold Mequipped with a 2-plectic form ωgives an exact Courant algebroid Eω withˇSevera class [ ω], and that there is an embedding of the Lie 2-algebra of observables into the Lie 2-algebra corresponding to Eω. Moreover, this embedding allows us to characterize the Hamiltonian 1-form s as particular infinitesimal symmetries of Eωwhich preserve the 2-plectic structure on M. 2.Courant algebroids Here we recall some basic facts and examples of Courant algeb roids and then we proceed to describe ˇSevera’s classification of exact Courant alge- broids. There are several equivalent definitions of a Couran t algebroid found in the literature. In this paper we use the definition given by Roytenberg [17]. Definition 2.1. ACourant algebroid is a vector bundle E→Mequipped with a nondegenerate symmetric bilinear form /an}bracketle{t·,·/an}bracketri}hton the bundle, a skew- symmetric bracket /llbracket·,·/rrbracketonΓ(E), and a bundle map (called the anchor) ρ:E→TMsuch that for all e1,e2,e3∈Γ(E)and for all f,g∈C∞(M)the following properties hold: (1)/llbrackete1,/llbrackete2,e3/rrbracket/rrbracket−/llbracket/llbrackete1,e2/rrbracket,e3/rrbracket−/llbrackete2,/llbrackete1,e3/rrbracket/rrbracket=−DT(e1,e2,e3),4 CHRISTOPHER L. ROGERS (2)ρ([e1,e2]) = [ρ(e1),ρ(e2)], (3) [e1,fe2] =f[e1,e2]+ρ(e1)(f)e2−1 2/an}bracketle{te1,e2/an}bracketri}htDf, (4)/an}bracketle{tDf,Dg/an}bracketri}ht= 0, (5)ρ(e1)(/an}bracketle{te2,e3/an}bracketri}ht) =/an}bracketle{t[e1,e2]+1 2D/an}bracketle{te1,e2/an}bracketri}ht,e3/an}bracketri}ht+/an}bracketle{te2,[e1,e3]+1 2D/an}bracketle{te1,e3/an}bracketri}ht/an}bracketri}ht, where[·,·]is the Lie bracket of vector fields, D:C∞(M)→Γ(E)is the map defined by /an}bracketle{tDf,e/an}bracketri}ht=ρ(e)f, and T(e1,e2,e3) =1 6(/an}bracketle{t/llbrackete1,e2/rrbracket,e3/an}bracketri}ht+/an}bracketle{t/llbrackete3,e1/rrbracket,e2/an}bracketri}ht+/an}bracketle{t/llbrackete2,e3/rrbracket,e1/an}bracketri}ht). The bracket in Definition 2.1 is skew-symmetric, but the first property implies that it needs only to satisfy the Jacobi identity “up toDT”. (The notation suggests we think of this as a boundary.) The functi onTis often referred to as the Jacobiator . (When there is no risk of confusion, we shall refer to the Courant algebroid with underlying vector bundl eE→MasE.) Note that the vector bundle Emay be identified with E∗via the bilinear form/an}bracketle{t·,·/an}bracketri}htand therefore we have the dual map ρ∗:T∗M→E. Hence the map Dis simply the pullback of the de Rham differential by ρ∗. Thereisanalternatedefinitiongiven by ˇSevera[20]forCourantalgebroids which uses a bilinear operation on sections that satisfies a J acobi identity but is not skew-symmetric. Definition 2.2. ACourant algebroid is a vector bundle E→Mtogether with a nondegenerate symmetric bilinear form /an}bracketle{t·,·/an}bracketri}hton the bundle, a bilinear operation ◦onΓ(E), and a bundle map ρ:E→TMsuch that for all e1,e2,e3∈Γ(E)and for all f∈C∞(M)the following properties hold: (1)e1◦(e2◦e3) = (e1◦e2)◦e3+e2◦(e1◦e3), (2)ρ(e1◦e2) = [ρ(e1),ρ(e2)], (3)e1◦fe2=f(e1◦e2)+ρ(e1)(f)e2, (4)e1◦e1=1 2D/an}bracketle{te1,e1/an}bracketri}ht, (5)ρ(e1)(/an}bracketle{te2,e3/an}bracketri}ht) =/an}bracketle{te1◦e2,e3/an}bracketri}ht+/an}bracketle{te2,e1◦e3/an}bracketri}ht, where[·,·]is the Lie bracket of vector fields, and D:C∞(M)→Γ(E)is the map defined by /an}bracketle{tDf,e/an}bracketri}ht=ρ(e)f. The “bracket” ◦is related to the bracket given in Definition 2.1 by: x◦y=/llbracketx,y/rrbracket+1 2D/an}bracketle{tx,y/an}bracketri}ht. (1) Roytenberg [17] showed that if Eis a Courant algebroid in the sense of Definition 2.1 with bracket /llbracket·,·/rrbracket, bilinear form /an}bracketle{t·,·/an}bracketri}htand anchor ρ, thenEis a Courant algebroid in the sense of Definition 2.2 with the sam e anchor and bilinear form but with bracket ◦given by Eq. 1. Unless otherwise stated, all Courant algebroids mentioned in this paper are Courant alge broids in the sense of Definition 2.1. We introduced Definition 2.2 mainly t o connect our results here with previous results in the literature.COURANT ALGEBROIDS FROM CATEGORIFIED SYMPLECTIC GEOMETRY 5 Example 1.An important example of a Courant algebroid is the standard Courant algebroid E0=TM⊕T∗Mover any manifold Mwith bracket /llbracket(v1,α1),(v2,α2)/rrbracket0=/parenleftbigg [v1,v2],Lv1α2−Lv2α1−1 2d(ιv1α2−ιv2α1)/parenrightbigg ,(2) and bilinear form /an}bracketle{t(v1,α1),(v2,α2)/an}bracketri}ht=ιv1α2+ιv2α1. (3) In this case the anchor ρ:E0→TMis the projection map, and for a function f∈C∞(M),Df= (0,df). The standard Courant algebroid is the prototypical example of anexact Courant algebroid [4]. Definition 2.3. A Courant algebroid E→Mwith anchor map ρ:E→TM isexactiff 0→T∗Mρ∗ →Eρ→TM→0 is an exact sequence of vector bundles. 2.1.TheˇSevera class of an exact Courant algebroid. ˇSevera’s clas- sification originates in the idea that choosing a splitting o f the above short exact sequence corresponds to defining a kind of connection. Definition 2.4. Aconnection on an exact Courant algebroid Eover a manifold Mis a map of vector bundles A:TM→Esuch that (1)ρ◦A= idTM, (2)/an}bracketle{tA(v1),A(v2)/an}bracketri}ht= 0for allv1,v2∈TM, whereρ:E→TMand/an}bracketle{t·,·/an}bracketri}htare the anchor and bilinear form, respectively. IfAis a connection and θ∈Ω2(M) is a 2-form then one can construct a new connection: (A+θ)(v) =A(v)+ρ∗θ(v,·). (4) (A+θ) satisfies the first condition of Definition 2.4 since ker ρ= imρ∗. The second condition follows from the fact that we have by definit ion ofρ∗: /an}bracketle{tρ∗(α),e/an}bracketri}ht=α(ρ(e)) (5) for alle∈Γ(E) andα∈Ω1(M). Furthermore, one can show that any two connections on an exact Courant algebroid must differ (as in Eq . 4) by a 2-form on M. Hence the space of connections on an exact Courant algebroi d is an affine space modeled on the vector space of 2-forms Ω2(M) [4]. The failure of a connection to preserve the bracket gives a su itable notion of curvature: Definition 2.5. IfEis an exact Courant algebroid over Mwith bracket /llbracket·,·/rrbracket andA:TM→Eis a connection then the curvature is a map F:TM× TM→Edefined by F(v1,v2) =/llbracketA(v1),A(v2)/rrbracket−A([v1,v2]).6 CHRISTOPHER L. ROGERS IfFis the curvature of a connection Athen given v1,v2∈TM, it follows from exactness and axiom 2 in Definition 2.1 that there exists a 1-form αv1,v2∈Ω1(M) such that F(v1,v2) =ρ∗(αv1,v2). Since Ais a connection, its image is isotropic in E. Therefore for any v3∈TMwe have: /an}bracketle{tF(v1,v2),A(v3)/an}bracketri}ht=/an}bracketle{t/llbracketA(v1),A(v2)/rrbracket,A(v3)/an}bracketri}ht. The above formula allows one to associate the curvature Fto a 3-form on M: Proposition 2.6. LetEbe an exact Courant algebroid over a manifold M with bracket /llbracket·,·/rrbracketand bilinear form /an}bracketle{t·,·/an}bracketri}ht. LetA:TM→Ebe a connection onE. Then given vector fields v1,v2,v3onM: (1)The function ω(v1,v2,v3) =/an}bracketle{t/llbracketA(v1),A(v2)/rrbracket,A(v3)/an}bracketri}ht defines a closed 3-form on M. (2)Ifθ∈Ω2(M)is a 2-form and ˜A=A+θthen ˜ω(v1,v2,v3) =/an}bracketle{t/llbracket˜A(v1),˜A(v2)/rrbracket,˜A(v3)/an}bracketri}ht =ω(v1,v2,v3)+dθ(v1,v2,v3). Proof.The statements in the proposition are proven in Lemmas 4.2.6 , 4.2.7, and 4.3.4 in the paper by Bressler and Chervov [4]. In their wo rk they define a Courant algebroid using Definition 2.2, and therefor e their bracket satisfies the Jacobi identity, but is not skew-symmetric. In our notation, their definition of the curvature 3-form is: ω′(v1,v2,v3) =/an}bracketle{tA(v1)◦A(v2),A(v3)/an}bracketri}ht. In particular they show that ◦satisfying the Jacobi identity implies ω′is closed. The Jacobiator corresponding to the Courant bracke t is non-trivial in general. However the isotropicity of the connection and E q. 1 imply A(v1)◦A(v2) =/llbracketA(v1),A(v2)/rrbracket∀v1,v2∈TM. Henceω′=ω, so all the needed results in [4] apply here. /square Thus the above proposition implies that the curvature 3-for m of an exact Courantalgebroid over Mgives awell-defined cohomology class in H3 DR(M), independent of the choice of connection. 2.2.Twisting the Courant bracket. The previous section describes how to go from exact Courant algebroids to closed 3-forms. Now we describe the reverse process. In Example 1 we showed that one can define the standard Courant algebroid E0over any manifold M. The total space is the direct sumTM⊕T∗M, the bracket and bilinear form are given in Eqs. 2 and 3, and the anchor is simply the projection. The inclusion A(v) = (v,0) of the tangent bundle into the direct sum is obviously a connection onE0and it is easy to see that the standard Courant algebroid has zero cu rvature.COURANT ALGEBROIDS FROM CATEGORIFIED SYMPLECTIC GEOMETRY 7 ˇSevera and Weinstein [20, 21] observed that the bracket on E0could be twisted by a closed 3-form ω∈Ω3(M) on the base: /llbracket(v1,α1),(v2,α2)/rrbracketω=/llbracket(v1,α1),(v2,α2)/rrbracket0+ω(v1,v2,·). This gives a new Courant algebroid Eωwith the same anchor and bilinear form. Using Eqs. 2 and 3 we can compute the curvature 3-form of this new Courant algebroid: /an}bracketle{t/llbracketA(v1),A(v2)/rrbracket,A(v3)/an}bracketri}ht=/an}bracketle{t/llbracket(v1,0),(v2,0)/rrbracket,(v3,0)/an}bracketri}ht =/an}bracketle{t([v1,v2],ω(v1,v2,·)),(v3,0)/an}bracketri}ht =ω(v1,v2,v3), and we see that Eωis an exact Courant algebroid over MwithˇSevera class [ω]. 3. 2-plectic geometry We nowgive abriefoverview of 2-plectic geometry. Moredeta ils including motivation for several of the definitions presented here can be found in our previous work with Baez and Hoffnung [2, 3]. Definition 3.1. A3-formωon aC∞manifold Mis2-plectic , or more specifically a 2-plectic structure , if it is both closed: dω= 0, and nondegenerate: ∀v∈TxM, ιvω= 0⇒v= 0 Ifωis a2-plectic form on Mwe call the pair (M,ω)a2-plectic manifold . The 2-plectic structure induces an injective map from the sp ace of vector fields on Mto the space of 2-forms on M. This leads us to the following definition: Definition 3.2. Let(M,ω)be a2-plectic manifold. A 1-form αonMis Hamiltonian if there exists a vector field vαonMsuch that dα=−ιvαω. We sayvαis theHamiltonian vector field corresponding to α. The set of Hamiltonian 1-forms and the set of Hamiltonian vector fiel ds on a 2- plectic manifold are both vector spaces and are denoted as Ham(M)and VectH(M), respectively. The Hamiltonian vector field vαis unique if it exists, but note there may be 1-forms αhaving no Hamiltonian vector field. Furthermore, two distin ct Hamiltonian 1-forms may differ by a closed 1-form and therefor e share the same Hamiltonian vector field. We can generalize thePoisson bracket of functionsin symple ctic geometry by defining a bracket of Hamiltonian 1-forms.8 CHRISTOPHER L. ROGERS Definition 3.3. Givenα,β∈Ham(M), thebracket {α,β}is the 1-form given by {α,β}=ιvβιvαω. Proposition 3.4. Letα,β,γ∈Ham(M)and letvα,vβ,vγbe the respective Hamiltonian vector fields. The bracket {·,·}has the following properties: (1)The bracket of Hamiltonian forms is Hamiltonian: d{α,β}=−ι[vα,vβ]ω, (6) so in particular we have v{α,β}= [vα,vβ]. (2)The bracket is skew-symmetric: {α,β}=−{β,α} (7) (3)The bracket satisfies the Jacobi identity up to an exact 1-form : {α,{β,γ}}−{{α,β},γ}−{β,{α,γ}}=dJα,β,γ (8) withJα,β,γ=ιvαιvβιvγω. Proof.See Proposition 3.7 in [2]. /square 4.Lie2-algebras Both the Courant bracket and the bracket on Hamiltonian 1-fo rms are, roughly, Lie brackets which satisfy the Jacobi identity up t o an exact 1- form. This leads us to the notion of a Lie 2-algebra: a categor y equipped with structures analogous to those of a Lie algebra, for whic h the usual laws involving skew-symmetry and the Jacobi identity hold up to i somorphism [1, 19]. A Lie 2-algebra in which the isomorphisms are actual equalities is called a strict Lie 2-algebra. A Lie 2-algebra in which the laws govern- ing skew-symmetry are equalities but the Jacobi identity ho lds only up to isomorphism is called a semistrict Lie 2-algebra. Here we define a semistrict Lie 2-algebra to be a 2-term chain c omplex of vector spaces equipped with structures analogous to thos e of a Lie al- gebra, for which the usual laws hold up to chain homotopy. In t his guise, a semistrict Lie 2-algebra is nothing more than a 2-term L∞-algebra. For more details, we refer the reader to the work of Lada and Stash eff [14], and the work of Baez and Crans [1]. Definition 4.1. Asemistrict Lie 2-algebra is a2-term chain complex of vector spaces L= (L1d→L0)equipped with: •a chain map [·,·]:L⊗L→Lcalled the bracket; •an antisymmetric chain homotopy J:L⊗L⊗L→Lfrom the chain map L⊗L⊗L→L x⊗y⊗z/mapsto−→[x,[y,z]],COURANT ALGEBROIDS FROM CATEGORIFIED SYMPLECTIC GEOMETRY 9 to the chain map L⊗L⊗L→L x⊗y⊗z/mapsto−→[[x,y],z]+[y,[x,z]] called the Jacobiator , such that the following equation holds: [x,J(y,z,w)] +J(x,[y,z],w) +J(x,z,[y,w]) +[J(x,y,z),w] +[z,J(x,y,w)] =J(x,y,[z,w]) +J([x,y],z,w) +[y,J(x,z,w)] +J(y,[x,z],w) +J(y,z,[x,w]).(9) We will also need a suitable notion of morphism: Definition 4.2. Given semistrict Lie 2-algebras LandL′with bracket and Jacobiator [·,·],Jand[·,·]′,J′respectively, a homomorphism fromLto L′consists of: •a chain map φ= (φ0,φ1) :L→L′, and •a chain homotopy φ2:L⊗L→Lfrom the chain map L⊗L→L x⊗y/mapsto−→[φ(x),φ(y)]′, to the chain map L⊗L→L x⊗y/mapsto−→φ([x,y]) such that the following equation holds: J′(φ0(x),φ0(y),φ0(z))−φ1(J(x,y,z)) = φ2(x,[y,z])−φ2([x,y],z)−φ2(y,[x,z])−[φ2(x,y),φ0(z)]′ +[φ0(x),φ2(y,z)]′−[φ0(y),φ2(x,z)]′.(10) This definition is equivalent to the definition of a morphism b etween 2- termL∞-algebras. (The same definition is given in [1], but it contai ns a typographical error.) 4.1.The Lie 2-algebra from a 2-plectic manifold. Given a 2-plectic manifold( M,ω), wecanconstructasemistrictLie2-algebra. Theunderlyi ng 2-term chain complex is namely: L=C∞(M)d→Ham(M) wheredis the usual exterior derivative of functions. This chain co mplex is well-defined, since any exact form is Hamiltonian, with 0 as i ts Hamiltonian vector field. We can construct a chain map {·,·}:L⊗L→L, by extending the bracket on Ham( M) trivially to L. In other words, in degree 0, the chain map is given as in Definition 3.3: {α,β}=ιvβιvαω,10 CHRISTOPHER L. ROGERS and in degrees 1 and 2, we set it equal to zero: {α,f}= 0,{f,α}= 0,{f,g}= 0. The precise construction of this Lie 2-algebra is given in th e following the- orem: Theorem 4.3. If(M,ω)is a2-plectic manifold, there is a semistrict Lie 2-algebraL(M,ω)where: •the space of 0-chains is Ham(M), •the space of 1-chains is C∞, •the differential is the exterior derivative d:C∞→Ham(M), •the bracket is {·,·}, •the Jacobiator is the linear map JL: Ham(M)⊗Ham(M)⊗Ham(M)→ C∞defined by JL(α,β,γ) =ιvαιvβιvγω. Proof.See Theorem 4.4 in [2]. /square 4.2.The Lie 2-algebra from a Courant algebroid. Given any Courant algebroid E→Mwith bilinear form /an}bracketle{t·,·/an}bracketri}ht, bracket /llbracket·,·/rrbracket, and anchor ρ:E→ TM, we can construct a 2-term chain complex C=C∞(M)D→Γ(E), with differential D=ρ∗d. The bracket /llbracket·,·/rrbracketon global sections can be ex- tended to a chain map /llbracket·,·/rrbracket:C⊗C→C. Ife1,e2are degree 0 chains then /llbrackete1,e2/rrbracketis the original bracket. If eis a degree 0 chain and f,gare degree 1 chains, then we define: /llbrackete,f/rrbracket=−/llbracketf,e/rrbracket=1 2/an}bracketle{te,Df/an}bracketri}ht /llbracketf,g/rrbracket= 0. This extended bracket gives a semistrict Lie 2-algebra on th e complex C: Theorem 4.4. IfEis a Courant algebroid, there is a semistrict Lie 2- algebraC(E)where: •the space of 0-chains is Γ(E), •the space of 1-chains is C∞(M), •the differential the map D:C∞(M)→Γ(M), •the bracket is /llbracket·,·/rrbracket, •the Jacobiator is the linear map JC: Γ(M)⊗Γ(M)⊗Γ(M)→C∞(M) defined by JC(e1,e2,e3) =−T(e1,e2,e3) =−1 6(/an}bracketle{t/llbrackete1,e2/rrbracket,e3/an}bracketri}ht+/an}bracketle{t/llbrackete3,e1/rrbracket,e2/an}bracketri}ht+/an}bracketle{t/llbrackete2,e3/rrbracket,e1/an}bracketri}ht). Proof.Theproofthat aCourantalgebroid inthesenseofDefinition 2 .1gives rise to a semistrict Lie 2-algebra follows from the work done by Roytenberg on graded symplectic supermanifolds [18] and Lie 2-algebra s [19]. In partic- ular we refer the reader to Example 5.4 of [19] and Section 4 of [18].COURANT ALGEBROIDS FROM CATEGORIFIED SYMPLECTIC GEOMETRY 11 Onthe other hand, theoriginal construction of Roytenberg a nd Weinstein [16] gives a L∞-algebra on the complex: 0→kerDι→C∞(M)D→Γ(E), with trivial structure maps lnforn≥3. Moreover, the map l2(correspond- ing to the bracket /llbracket·,·/rrbracketgiven above) is trivial in degree >1 and the map l3(corresponding to the Jacobiator JC) is trivial in degree >0. Hence we can restrict this L∞-algebra to our complex Cand use the results in [1] that relateL∞-algebras with semistrict Lie 2-algebras. /square 5.The Courant algebroid associated to a 2-plectic manifold Now we have the necessary machinery in place to describe how C ourant algebroids connect with 2-plectic geometry. First, recall the discussion in Section 2.2 on twisting the bracket of the standard Courant a lgebroid E0by a closed 3-form. From Definition 3.1, we immediately have the following: Proposition 5.1. Let(M,ω)be a2-plectic manifold. There exists an exact Courant algebroid EωwithˇSevera class [ω]overMwith underlying vector bundleTM⊕T∗M→M, anchor ρ(v,α) =v, and bracket and bilinear form given by: /llbracket(v1,α1),(v2,α2)/rrbracketω=/parenleftbigg [v1,v2],Lv1α2−Lv2α1−1 2d(ιv1α2−ιv2α1)+ιv2ιv1ω/parenrightbigg , /an}bracketle{t(v1,α1),(v2,α2)/an}bracketri}ht=ιv1α2+ιv2α1. More importantly, the Courant algebroid constructed in Pro position 5.1 not only encodes the 2-plectic structure ω, but also the corresponding Lie 2-algebra constructed in Theorem 4.3: Theorem 5.2. Let(M,ω)be a2-plectic manifold and let Eωbe its corre- sponding Courant algebroid. Let L(M,ω)andC(Eω)be the semistrict Lie 2-algebras corresponding to (M,ω)andEω, respectively. Then there exists a homomorphism embedding L(M,ω)intoC(Eω). Before we prove the theorem, we introduce some lemmas to ease the calculations. In the notation that follows, if α,βare Hamiltonian 1-forms with corresponding vector fields vα,vβ, then B(α,β) =1 2(ιvαβ−ιvβα). (11) Also by the symbol /anticlockwisewe mean cyclic permutations of the symbols α,β,γ. Lemma 5.3. Ifα,β∈Ham(M)with corresponding Hamiltonian vector fieldsvα,vβ, thenLvαβ={α,β}+dιvαβ. Proof.SinceLv=ιvd+dιv, Lvαβ=ιvαdβ+dιvαβ=−ιvαιvβω+dιvαβ={α,β}+dιvαβ. /square12 CHRISTOPHER L. ROGERS Lemma 5.4. Ifα,β,γ∈Ham(M)with corresponding Hamiltonian vector fieldsvα,vβ,vγ, then ι[vα,vβ]γ+/anticlockwise=−3ιvαιvβιvγω+2/parenleftbig ιvαdB(β,γ)+ιvγdB(α,β)+ιvβdB(γ,α)/parenrightbig . Proof.The identity ι[v1,v2]=Lv1ιv2−ιv2Lv1and Lemma 5.3 imply: ι[vα,vβ]γ=Lvαιvβγ−ιvβLvαγ =Lvαιvβγ−ιvβ({α,γ}+dιvαγ) =ιvαdιvβγ−ιvβιvγιvαω−ιvβdιvαγ, where the last equality follows from the definition of the bra cket. Hence it follows that: ι[vγ,vα]β=ιvγdιvαβ−ιvαιvβιvγω−ιvαdιvγβ, ι[vβ,vγ]α=ιvβdιvγα−ιvγιvαιvβω−ιvγdιvβα. Finally, note 2 ιvαdB(β,γ) =ιvαdιvβγ−ιvαdιvγβ. /square Lemma 5.5. Ifα,β∈Ham(M)with corresponding Hamiltonian vector fieldsvα,vβ, then Lvβα−Lvαβ=−2({α,β}+dB(α,β)). Proof.Follows immediately from Lemma 5.3 and the definition of B(α,β). /square Proof of Theorem 5.2. We will construct a homomorphism from L(M,ω) to C(Eω). LetLbe the underlying chain complex of L(M,ω) consisting of Hamiltonian 1-forms in degree 0 and smooth functions in degr ee 1. Let Cbe the underlying chain of C(Eω) consisting of global sections of Eωin degree 0 and smooth functions in degree 1. The bracket /llbracket·,·/rrbracketωdenotes the extension of the bracket on Γ( Eω) to the complex Cin the sense of Theorem 4.4. Let φ0:L0→C0be given by φ0(α) = (vα,−α), wherevαis the Hamiltonian vector field corresponding to α. Letφ1:L1→ C1be given by φ1(f) =−f. Finally let φ2:L0⊗L0→C1be given by φ2(α,β) =−B(α,β) =−1 2(ιvαβ−ιvβα). Nowweshow φ2isawell-definedchainhomotopyinthesenseofDefinition 4.2. For degree 0 we have: /llbracketφ0(α),φ0(β)/rrbracketω=/parenleftbigg [vα,vβ],Lvα(−β)−Lvβ(−α)+1 2d/parenleftbig ιvαβ−ιvβα/parenrightbig +ιvβιvαω/parenrightbigg = ([vα,vβ],−{α,β}+dφ2(α,β)),COURANT ALGEBROIDS FROM CATEGORIFIED SYMPLECTIC GEOMETRY 13 where the last equality above follows from Lemma 5.5. By Prop osition 3.4, the Hamiltonian vector field of {α,β}is [vα,vβ]. Hence we have: /llbracketφ0(α),φ0(β)/rrbracketω−φ0({α,β}) =dφ2(α,β). Indegree1, thebracket {·,·}istrivial. Henceitfollows fromthedefinition of/llbracket·,·/rrbracketωand the bilinear form on Eω(given in Proposition 5.1 ) that /llbracketφ0(α),φ1(f)/rrbracketω=−/llbracketφ1(f),φ0(α)/rrbracketω=1 2/an}bracketle{t(vα,−α),(0,−df)/an}bracketri}ht=φ2(α,df). Therefore φ2is a chain homotopy. It remains to show the coherence condition (Eq. 10 in Definiti on 4.2) is satisfied. We rewrite the Jacobiator JCas: JC(φ0(α),φ0(β),φ0(γ)) =−1 6/an}bracketle{t/llbracketφ0(α),φ0(β)/rrbracket,φ0(γ)/an}bracketri}ht+/anticlockwise =−1 6/an}bracketle{t([vα,vβ],−{α,β}−dB(α,β)),(vγ,−γ)/an}bracketri}ht+/anticlockwise =1 6/parenleftBig ι[vα,vβ]γ+ιvγιvβιvαω+ιvγdB(α,β)/parenrightBig +/anticlockwise =−JL(α,β,γ)+1 2/parenleftbig ιvγdB(α,β)+/anticlockwise/parenrightbig . The last equality above follows from Lemma 5.4 and the definit ion of the Jacobiator JL. Therefore the left-hand side of Eq. 10 is JC(φ0(α),φ0(β),φ0(γ))−φ1(JL(α,β,γ)) =1 2/parenleftbig ιvγdB(α,β)+/anticlockwise/parenrightbig . By the skew-symmetry of the brackets, the right-hand side of Eq. 10 can be rewritten as: (/llbracketφ0(α),φ2(β,γ)/rrbracketω+/anticlockwise)−(φ2({α,β},γ)+/anticlockwise). From the definitions of the bracket, bilinear form and φ2we have: /llbracketφ0(α),φ2(β,γ)/rrbracketω+/anticlockwise=1 2/an}bracketle{t(vα,−α),(0,dφ2(β,γ)/an}bracketri}ht+/anticlockwise =−1 2ιvαdB(β,γ)+/anticlockwise, and: φ2({α,β},γ)+/anticlockwise=−1 2/parenleftBig ι[vα,vβ]γ−ιvγιvβιvαω/parenrightBig =−(ιvαdB(β,γ)+/anticlockwise). The last equality above follows again from Lemma 5.4. Theref ore the right- hand side of Eq. 10 is 1 2/parenleftbig ιvγdB(α,β)+/anticlockwise/parenrightbig . Hencethemaps φ0,φ1,φ2give ahomomorphismofsemistrictLie2-algebras. /square14 CHRISTOPHER L. ROGERS We note that Roytenberg [19] has shown that a Courant algebro id defined using Definition 2.2 with the bilinear operation ◦induces a hemistrict Lie 2-algebra on the complex Cdescribed in Theorem 4.4 above. A hemistrict Lie 2-algebra is a Lie 2-algebra in which the skew-symmetry h olds up to isomorphism, while the Jacobi identity holds as an equality . We have proven in previous work [2] that a 2-plectic structure also gives ri se to a hemistrict Lie 2-algebra on the complex described in Theorem 4.3. One ca n show that all results presented above, in particular Theorem 5.2, car ry over to the hemistrict case. 6.Hamiltonian 1-forms as infinitesimal symmetries of the Courant algebroid Givena2-plecticmanifold( M,ω), theLie2-algebraofobservables L(M,ω) identifies particular infinitesimal symmetries of the corre sponding Courant algebroid Eωvia the embedding described in the proof of Theorem 5.2. To see this, we first recall some basic facts concerning automor phisms of exact Courant algebroids. The presentation here follows the work of Bursztyn, Cavalcanti, and Gualtieri [7]. Definition 6.1. LetE→Mbe a Courant algebroid with bilinear form /an}bracketle{t·,·/an}bracketri}ht, bracket /llbracket·,·/rrbracket, and anchor ρ:E→TM. Anautomorphism is a bundle isomorphism F:E→Ecovering a diffeomorphism ϕ:M→Msuch that (1)ϕ∗/an}bracketle{tF(e1),F(e2)/an}bracketri}ht=/an}bracketle{te1,e2/an}bracketri}ht, (2)F(/llbrackete1,e2/rrbracket) =/llbracketF(e1),F(e2)/rrbracket, (3)ρ(F(e1)) =ϕ∗(ρ(e1)). Consider the exact Courant algebroid Eωdescribed in Section 2.2 with underlyingvector bundle TM⊕T∗M→MandˇSevera class [ ω]∈H3 DR(M). Given a 2-form B∈Ω2(M), one can define a bundle isomorphism expB:TM⊕T∗M→TM⊕T∗M by expB(v,α) = (v,α+ιvB). The map exp Bis known as a ‘gauge transformation’. It covers the identity id:M→Mand therefore is compatible (in the sense of Definition 6.1) w ith the anchor ρ(v,α) =v. Since Bis skew-symmetric, exp Bpreserves the bilinear form /an}bracketle{t(v1,α1),(v2,α2)/an}bracketri}ht=ιv1α2+ιv2α1. However a simple compu- tation shows that exp Bpreserves the bracket /llbracket·,·/rrbracketω(defined in Eq. 2.2) if and only if Bis a closed 2-form: /llbracketexpB(v1,α1),expB(v2,α2)/rrbracketω= expB/parenleftbig /llbracket(v1,α1),(v2,α2)/rrbracketω+dB/parenrightbig . Given a diffeomorphism ϕ:M→Mof the base space, one can define a bundle isomorphism Φ: TM⊕T∗M→TM⊕T∗Mby Φ(v,α) =/parenleftBig ϕ∗v,(ϕ∗)−1α/parenrightBig .COURANT ALGEBROIDS FROM CATEGORIFIED SYMPLECTIC GEOMETRY 15 ThemapΦsatisfiesconditions1and3ofDefinition6.1butdoes notpreserve the bracket in general: /llbracketΦ(v1,α1),Φ(v2,α2)/rrbracketω= Φ/parenleftBig /llbracket(v1,α1),(v2,α2)/rrbracketϕ∗ω/parenrightBig . Bursztyn, Cavalcanti, and Gualtieri [7] showed that any aut omorphism F of the exact Courant algebroid Eωmust be of the form F= ΦexpB, (12) where Φ is constructed from a diffeomorphism ϕ:M→Msuch that ω−ϕ∗ω=dB. (13) This classification of automorphisms allows one to classify the infinitesimal symmetries as well. Let Ft= ΦtexptB=/parenleftBig ϕt∗exptB,(ϕ∗ t)−1exptB/parenrightBig bea 1-parameter family of automorphismsof the Courant alge broidEωwith F0= idEω. Letu∈Vect(M) be the vector field that generates the flow ϕ−t. Then differentiation gives: dFt dt(v,α)/vextendsingle/vextendsingle/vextendsingle/vextendsingle t=0= ([u,v],Luα+ιvB). Sinceω−ϕ∗ tω=tdB, it follows that uandBmust satisfy the equality: Luω=dB. (14) Theseinfinitesimaltransformationsarecalled derivations [7]oftheCourant algebroid Eω, sincetheycorrespondtolinearfirstorderdifferential oper ators which act as derivations of the non-skew-symmetric bracket : (v1,α1)◦ω(v2,α2) =/llbracket(v1,α1),(v2,α2)/rrbracketω+1 2d/an}bracketle{t(v1,α1),(v2,α2)/an}bracketri}ht.(15) = ([v1,v2],Lv1α2−ιv2dα1+ιv2ιv1ω). (16) In general, derivations are pairs ( u,B)∈Vect(M)⊕Ω2(M) satisfying Eq. 14. They act on global sections ( v,α)∈Γ(Eω) by: (u,B)·(v,α) = ([u,v],Luα+ιvB). Global sections themselves naturally act as derivations vi a anadjoint action[7]. Given ( u,β)∈Γ(Eω) letBbe the 2-form B=−dβ+ιuω. (17) Define ad (u,β): Γ(Eω)→Γ(Eω) by ad(u,β)(v,α) = (u,B)·(v,α) = ([u,v],Luα+ιv(−dβ+ιuω)).(18) One can see this is indeed the adjoint action in the usual sens e if one con- siders the non-skew-symmetric bracket given in Eq. 15: ad(u,β)(v,α) = (u,β)◦ω(v,α).16 CHRISTOPHER L. ROGERS Recall that in the proof of Theorem 5.2 we constructed a homom orphism of Lie 2-algebras using the map φ0: Ham(M)→Γ(Eω) defined by φ0(α) = (vα,−α), wherevαis the Hamiltonian vector field correspondingto α. Comparing Eq. 17 to Definition 3.2 of a Hamiltonian 1-form, we see that a sect ion (u,β)∈ Γ(Eω) is in the image of the map φ0if and only if its adjoint action ad (u,β) corresponds to the pair ( u,0)∈Vect(M)⊕Ω2(M). This implies that ad (u,β) preserves the 2-plectic structure on Mand that −βis a Hamiltonian 1-form with Hamiltonian vector field u. Also if uis complete, then Eqs. 12 and 13 imply that the 1-parameter family Ftof Courant algebroid automorphisms generated by ad (u,β)correspondsto a1-parameter family of diffeomorphisms ϕt:M→Mwhich preserve the 2-plectic structure: ϕ∗ tω=ω. In analogy with symplectic geometry, we call such automorph ismsHamil- tonian 2-plectomorphisms . We provide the following proposition as a summary of the disc ussion presented in this section: Proposition 6.2. Let(M,ω)be a 2-plectic manifold and let Eωbe its cor- responding Courant algebroid. There is a one-to-one correspo ndence be- tween the Hamiltonian 1-forms Ham(M)on(M,ω)and sections (u,β)of Eωwhose adjoint action satisfies the equality ad(u,β)(v,α) = (Luv,Luα). 7.Conclusions We suspect that the results presented here are preliminary a nd indicate a deeper relationship between 2-plectic geometry and the th eory of Courant algebroids. For example, the discussion of connections and curvature in Section 2.1 is reminiscent of the theory of gerbes with conne ction [5], whose relationship with Courant algebroids has been already stud ied [4, 20]. In 2- plecticgeometry, gerbeshavebeenconjecturedtoplayarol einthegeometric quantization ofa2-plecticmanifold[2]. Itwillbeinteres tingtoseehowthese different points of view complement each other. In general, much work has been done on studying the geometric struc- tures induced by Courant algebroids (e.g. Dirac structures , twisted Dirac structures). Perhaps this work can aid 2-plectic geometry s ince many geo- metric structures in this context are somewhat less underst ood or remain ill-defined (e.g. the notion of a 2-Lagrangian submanifold o r 2-polarization). On the other hand, n-plectic manifolds are well understood in the role they play in classical field theory [11], and are also underst ood algebraically in the sense that an n-plectic structure gives an n-termL∞-algebra on a chain complex of differential forms [15]. Perhaps these insig hts can aid inCOURANT ALGEBROIDS FROM CATEGORIFIED SYMPLECTIC GEOMETRY 17 understanding ‘higher’ analogs of Courant algebroids (e.g . Lien-algebroids) and complement similar ideas discussed by ˇSevera in [22]. 8.Acknowledgments We thank John Baez, Yael Fregier, Dmitry Roytenberg, Urs Sch rieber, James Stasheff and Marco Zambon for helpful comments, questi ons, and conversations. References [1] J. Baez and A. Crans, Higher-dimensional algebra VI: Lie 2-algebras, TAC12(2004), 492–528. Also available as arXiv:math/0307263. [2] J. Baez, A. Hoffnung, and C. Rogers, Categorified symplect ic geometry and the classical string, Comm. Math. Phys. 293(2010), 701–715. Also available as arXiv:0808.0246. [3] J. Baez and C. Rogers, Categorified symplectic geometry a nd the string Lie 2-algebra, available as arXiv:0901.4721. [4] P. Bressler and A. Chervov, Courant algebroids, J. Math. Sci. (N.Y.) 128(2005), 3030–3053. Also available as arXiv:hep-th/0212195. [5] J.-L. Brylinski, Loop Spaces, Characteristic Classes and Geometric Quantiz ation, Birkhauser, Boston, 1993. [6] M.J. Bowick and S.G. Rajeev, Closed bosonic string theor y,Nuc. Phys. B 293(1987), 348–384. [7] H. Bursztyn, G.R. Cavalcanti, and M. Gualtieri, Reducti on of Courant algebroids and generalized complex structures, Adv. Math. 211(2007), 726–765. Also available as arXiv:math/0509640. [8] F. Cantrijn, A.Ibort, andM. DeLeon, Onthegeometryofmu ltisymplectic manifolds, J. Austral. Math. Soc. (Series A) 66(1999), 303–330. [9] T. Courant, Dirac manifolds, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 319(1990), 631–661. [10] T. DeDonder, Theorie Invariantive du Calcul des Variations , Gauthier–Villars, Paris, 1935. [11] M. Gotay, J. Isenberg, J. Marsden, and R. Montgomery, Mo mentum maps and classi- cal relativistic fields.Part I:covariantfieldtheory, avai lable as arXiv:physics/9801019. [12] F. H´ elein, Hamiltonian formalisms for multidimensio nal calculus of variations and perturbation theory, in Noncompact Problems at the Intersection of Geometry , eds. A. Bahri et al, AMS, Providence, Rhode Island, 2001, pp. 127–148. Also ava ilable as arXiv:math-ph/0212036. [13] J. Kijowski, A finite-dimensional canonical formalism in the classical field theory, Commun. Math. Phys. 30(1973), 99–128. [14] T. Lada and J. Stasheff, Introduction to sh Lie algebras f or physicists, Int. Jour. Theor. Phys. 32(7) (1993), 1087–1103. Also available as hep-th/9209099. [15] C. Rogers, L∞-algebras from multisymplectic geometry, in preparation. [16] D. Roytenberg and A. Weinstein, Courant algebroids and strongly homotopy Lie algebras, Lett. Math. Phys. 46(1998), 81–93. Also available as arXiv:math/9802118. [17] D. Roytenberg, Courant Algebroids, Derived Brackets and Even Symplectic S uper- manifolds , Ph.D. thesis, UC Berkeley, 1999. Also available as arXiv:m ath/9910078. [18] D. Roytenberg, On the structure of graded symplectic su permanifolds and Courant algebroids, in Quantization, Poisson Brackets and Beyond , ed. T. Voronov, Con- temp. Math. ,315, AMS, Providence, RI, 2002, pp. 169–185. Also available as arXiv:math/0203110.18 CHRISTOPHER L. ROGERS [19] D. Roytenberg, On weak Lie 2-algebras, in: P. Kielanows kiet al(eds.) XXVI Work- shop on Geometrical Methods in Physics. AIP Conference Proc eedings956, pp. 180- 198. American InstituteofPhysics, Melville (2007). Alsoa vailable as arXiv:0712.3461. [20] P. ˇSevera, Letter to Alan Weinstein, available at http://sophia.dtp.fmph.uniba.sk/ ~severa/letters/ [21] P.ˇSevera, and A. Weinstein, Poisson geometry with a 3-form bac kground, Prog. Theor. Phys. Suppl. 144(2001), 145–154. Also available as arXiv:math/0107133. [22] P.ˇSevera, Some title containing the words ‘homotopy’ and ‘sym plectic’, e.g. this one, available as arXiv:math/0105080 [23] Y. Sheng and C. Zhu, Semidirect products of representat ions up to homotopy, avail- able as arXiv:0910.2147. [24] H. Weyl, Geodesic fields in the calculus of variation for multiple integrals, Ann. Math. 36(1935), 607–629. E-mail address :chris@math.ucr.edu Department of Mathematics, University of California, Rive rside, Califor- nia 92521, USA