Integrating central extensions of Lie algebras via Lie 2-groups (Q294195)

The vanishing of \(\pi_2\) for finite dimensional Lie groups implies that central extensions of finite dimensional Lie algebras integrate to central extensions of Lie groups. The paper under review studies the corresponding phenomenon in the infinite dimensional setup. It is shown that, in the infinite dimensional setup, the obstruction given by non-trivial \(\pi_2\) may be overcome by integrating central extensions of Lie algebras not to Lie groups but to central extensions of étale Lie \(2\)-groups. As an application, a generalization of Lie's Third Theorem to infinite dimensional Lie algebras is obtained. This generalization asserts that each locally exponential Lie algebra with topologically split center integrates to an étale Lie \(2\)-group.