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L ∞-Algebras from Multisymplectic Geometry

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Abstract

A manifold is multisymplectic, or more specifically n-plectic, if it is equipped with a closed nondegenerate differential form of degree n + 1. In previous work with Baez and Hoffnung, we described how the ‘higher analogs’ of the algebraic and geometric structures found in symplectic geometry should naturally arise in 2-plectic geometry. In particular, just as a symplectic manifold gives a Poisson algebra of functions, any 2-plectic manifold gives a Lie 2-algebra of 1-forms and functions. Lie n-algebras are examples of L ∞-algebras: graded vector spaces equipped with a collection of skew-symmetric multi-brackets that satisfy a generalized Jacobi identity. Here, we generalize our previous result. Given an n-plectic manifold, we explicitly construct a corresponding Lie n-algebra on a complex consisting of differential forms whose multi-brackets are specified by the n-plectic structure. We also show that any n-plectic manifold gives rise to another kind of algebraic structure known as a differential graded Leibniz algebra. We conclude by describing the similarities between these two structures within the context of an open problem in the theory of strongly homotopy algebras. We also mention a possible connection with the work of Barnich, Fulp, Lada, and Stasheff on the Gelfand–Dickey–Dorfman formalism.

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  1. Department of Mathematics, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA

    Christopher L. Rogers

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Correspondence to Christopher L. Rogers.

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This work was partially supported by FQXi grant RFP2-08-04.

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Rogers, C.L. L ∞-Algebras from Multisymplectic Geometry. Lett Math Phys 100, 29–50 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11005-011-0493-x

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