On the relation of Lie algebroids to constrained systems and their BV/BFV formulation (Q1725709)

Lie algebroids are found throughout differential geometry in many guises and have been playing an ever-increasing role in mathematical physics over the past couple of decades. Fundamental to the paper under review is the description of Lie algebroids in terms of Q-manifolds, i.e., supermanifolds equipped with an odd vector field that `squares to zero'. The authors start from a system of irreducible, fibre-linear, first-class constraints on \(T^*M\) and note that this is equivalent to the definition of a foliation Lie algebroid over \(M\). The BFV-formulation of this constrained system is shown to be given by the Hamiltonian lift of Vaintrob's description of the Lie algebroid as a \(Q\)-manifold \((E[1],Q)\), to its cotangent bundle \(T^*E[1]\). These systems are ``topological'' in the sense that the Hamiltonian is zero, at least on the constraint surface. Naturally, including a Hamiltonian to the system corresponds to a metric on the manifold \(M\). Evolution of the constraint surface requires a connection on the Lie algebroid. The authors study the compatibility of the metric structure with the connection -- this leads to known compatibility conditions already described in the literature. The authors show that the covariantisation of the Hamiltonian to a function on the supermanifold \(T^*E[1]\) gives a BFV-Hamiltonian, if and only if, the connection is compatible with the Lie algebroid structure. The BV-formulation of this system is shown to be obtained from the BFV by the AKSZ-formulation.