\(G\)-gerbes, principal \(2\)-group bundles and characteristic classes (Q283518): Difference between revisions

In the present paper, the relation between groupoid \(G\)-extensions, principal Lie \(2\)-group bundles and their characteristic classes is studied. A Lie \(2\)-group is a Lie groupoid \(\Gamma_2\rightrightarrows \Gamma_1\), whose spaces of objects \(\Gamma_1\) and of morphisms \(\Gamma_2\) are Lie groups and all of whose structure maps are group morphisms. A crossed module \((G\to^\rho H)\) is a Lie group morphism together with an action of \(H\) on \(G\) satisfying suitable compatibility conditions. A generalization of the concept of generalized morphism to \(2\)-groupoids is presented as follows. A generalized morphism of Lie \(2\)-groupoids \(\mathbf{\Gamma}\rightsquigarrow \mathbf{\Delta}\) is a diagram \(\mathbf{\Gamma} \leftarrow^\phi \mathbf{E} \rightarrow^f \mathbf{\Delta}\) in the category \(\{\mathbf{2Gpd}\}\) of Lie \(2\)-groupoids and their morphisms, where \(\phi\) is a Morita equivalence. A principal \([G\to^\rho H]\)-bundle over a Lie groupoid \(\Gamma\) is a generalized morphism from \(\Gamma\) to \([G\to^\rho H]\). The concept of (geometric) nerve of Lie groupoids extends to the \(2\)-categorical context as a functor from the category of Lie \(2\)-groupoids to the category of simplicial manifolds. The cohomology of a \(2\)-groupoid is the cohomology of its nerve, which can be computed via a double complex. Lie \(2\)-group principal bundles are closely related to non-abelian gerbes. Geometrically, non-abelian \(G\)-gerbes over differentiable stacks can be considered as groupoid \(G\)-extensions modulo Morita equivalence. The authors obtain an equivalence between (strict) \(G\)-gerbes over a differentiable stack and principal bundles over the \(2\)-group \([G\to \mathrm{Aut}(G)]\). Here is a general description of the concepts and results from the present paper. After a presentation of the generalized morphisms of Lie \(2\)-groupoids and a recall of some standard material on Lie \(2\)-groupoids (in section 2), the authors present (in section 3) the Theorem 3.4 on the equivalence of groupoids \(G\)-extensions and principal \([G\to^{Ad} \mathrm{Aut}(G)]\)-bundles. Next, in section 4, the authors define the characteristic map/classes of principal Lie \(2\)-group bundles and present the construction of the Dixmier-Douady classes of groupoid central \(G\)-extensions. Next they prove that the Dixmier-Douady class of a central \(G\)-extension coincides with the universal characteristic class of the induced \([Z(G)\to 1]\)-bundle. Since the universal characteristic map can be defined in cohomology with integer coefficients, it follows that the Dixmier-Douady class of a central \(G\)-extension is integral.