Higher multi-Courant algebroids (Q2159363)

Consider a pseudo-Euclidean vector bundle, i.e., a vector bundle \(E\to M\) over a manifold together with a symmetric, nondegenerate bilinear form \(\langle\cdot,\cdot \rangle\) on its fibers. The most important instance is \(E=TM\oplus T^*M\). \textit{F. Keller} and \textit{S. Waldmann} [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 219, No. 8, 3391--3426 (2015; Zbl 1315.53103)] constructed an associated graded Poisson algebra \(\mathcal{C}\), such that degree 3 elements which are self-commuting (w.r.t. the graded Poisson bracket \([\cdot,\cdot]_{KW}\)) correspond to Courant algebroid structures on \(E\). One of the contributions of the paper at hand is to clarify the structure of \(\mathcal{C}\), providing in particular an explicit formula for \([\cdot,\cdot]_{KW}\). \textit{F. Keller} and \textit{S. Waldmann} [loc. cit.] also observed that the graded Poisson algebra \(\mathcal{C}\) is isomorphic to one \(\widetilde{\mathcal{C}}\), whose elements consists of \(\mathbb{R}\)-multilinear maps on \(\Gamma(E)\) with values on \(C^{\infty}(M)\). The authors of the present paper introduce a third graded Poisson algebra \(\mathcal{C}(\wedge^{\ge 1}E)\), whose elements are obtained extending as derivations (in each argument) the elements of \(\widetilde{\mathcal{C}}\). The graded Poisson algebra \(\mathcal{C}(\wedge^{\ge 1}E)\) is isomorphic to the previous two, and indeed it is shown that all three are isomorphic to the graded Poisson algebra \(\mathcal{F}_E\) of functions on the degree-2 symplectic manifold associated to the pseudo-Euclidean vector bundle. In Definition 3.9 the authors introduce the notion of \textit{multi-Courant structure} on the pseudo-Euclidean vector bundle \(E\), as an element of \(\mathcal{C}\) of arbitrary degree which is self-commuting. In Definition 4.10 they define \textit{higher multi-Courant structures} as a self-commuting element of \(\widetilde{\mathcal{C}}\).