On higher analogues of Courant algebroids (Q547382)

The authors study the algebraic properties of the higher analogues of Courant algebroid structures on the vector bundle \(TM \oplus \bigwedge^pT^*M\) for an \(m\)-dimensional manifold \(M\). As an application, they revisit Nambu-Poisson structures and multisymplectic structures. They prove that the graph of a \((p+1)\)-vector field \(\pi\) is involutive with respect to the higher-order Dorfman bracket if and only if \(\pi\) is a Nambu-Poisson structure. Consequently, there is an induced Leibniz algebroid structure on \(\bigwedge^pT^*M\). The graph of an \((p+1)\)-form \(\omega\) is involutive with respect to the higher-order Dorfman bracket if and only if \(\omega\) is premultisymplectic, i.e., \(d\omega = 0\). Furthermore, there is a Lie algebroid structure on the admissible bundle \(A\subset \bigwedge^pT^*M\), defined as the subbundle spanned by the \(p\)-forms which belong to the image of the map \[ \omega^\flat: \mathfrak{X}(M)\to \Omega^p(M):X_\alpha\mapsto i_{X_\alpha}\omega. \] In particular, for a 2-plectic structure, it induces the Lie 2-algebra structure given in [\textit{J. C. Baez, A. E. Hoffnung} and \textit{C. L. Rogers}, Commun. Math. Phys. 293, No. 3, 701--725 (2010; Zbl 1192.81208)]. Related papers for the interested readers are [\textit{Y. Hagiwara}, ``Nambu-Dirac manifolds'', J. Phys. A, Math. Gen. 35, No. 5, 1263--1281 (2002; Zbl 1005.53021)] and [\textit{M. Zambon}, ``\(L_\infty\) algebras and higher analogues of Dirac structures and Courant algebroids'', to appear in [Symplectic Geometry, \url{arXiv:1003.1004}], where some similar results are discussed.