Basic and equivariant cohomology in balanced topological field theory (Q5931238)

In general, a cohomological topological field theory is characterized by a symmetry Lie algebra \({\mathfrak g}\), a graded algebra of fields \({\mathfrak f}\), and a set of graded derivations on \({\mathfrak f}\) generating a Lie algebra \({\mathfrak t}\). In turn, the topological algebra \({\mathfrak t}\) provides the algebraic and geometric framework for the definition of the topological observables within this field theory. A few years ago, R. Dijkgraaf and G. Moore showed that all known \(N=2\) topological models were examples of ``balanced topological field theories'', and they developed a cohomological framework suitable for their study [cf. \textit{R. Dijkgraaf} and \textit{G. Moore}, Commun. Math. Phys. 185, 411-440 (1997; Zbl 0888.58008)]. In the paper under review, the author provides a detailed algebraic study of the \(N=2\) cohomological set-up describing the balanced topological field theory of Dijkgraaf and Moore. More precisely, after a brief review of the basic facts of the theory of superalgebras and supermodules, the \(N=1\) and \(N=2\) topological algebras and Weil algebras are introduced, analyzed and compared. This is followed by the description of the corresponding \(N=1\) and \(N=2\) ``basic'' cohomology theories, the Weil superoperation and their (basic) cohomologies, and a detailed comparison of those \(N=1\) and \(N=2\) cohomologies. Then, after defining \(N=1\) and \(N=2\) abstract connections, equivariant cohomology and the related Weil homomorphism, the entire cohomological set-up developed so far is used to study the \(N=1\) and \(N=2\) (basic) cohomology of a smooth manifold equipped with a right group action. The main results consist in comparison theorems between \(N=1\) and \(N=3\) (basic) cohomologies. Altogether, by emphasizing the role of topological supersymmetry, throughout the paper, and by exhibiting the similarities and the differences of the \(N=1\) and \(N=2\) cases, the author has provided a very substantial contribution towards the better understanding and the further development of the fundamental ideas of Dijkgraaf and Moore in balanced topological quantum field theory.