The Weil algebra and the Van Est isomorphism (Q660439)

Generalizing the Weil algebra of a Lie algebra and Kalkman's BRST model, the authors introduce the Weil algebra \(W(A)\) associated to any Lie algebroid \(A\). They show that \(W(A)\) is related to the Bott-Shulman complex via a Van Est map, proving a Van Est isomorphism theorem. They give some applications of this theory, showing the connection of the Weil algebra and Van Est maps with the integration and the pre-quantization of Poisson and Dirac manifolds.