Koszul duality for modules over Lie algebras (Q1847920)

Let \(G\) be a compact connected Lie group and set \(\Lambda_{\bullet}=H_*(G)\) and \(S^{\bullet}=H^*(BG)\) where cohomology is taken with coefficients in \(\mathbb R\). Let us recall what kind of algebra \(\Lambda_{\bullet}\) and \(S^{\bullet}\) are. \(H^*(G)\) is calculated by the cohomology of its Lie algebra \({\mathfrak g}\) (or equivalently by the \({\mathfrak g}\)-invariants \((\Lambda{\mathfrak g}^*)^{\mathfrak g}\) of \((\Lambda{\mathfrak g}^*)\)), which is an exterior algebra on the primitive elements, and the same holds for \(H_*(G)\) using the Kronecker pairing. On the other hand, the essence of Chern-Weil theory is that \(H^*(BG)\) is the algebra of polynomials on \({\mathfrak g}^*\) which are invariant under the natural \({\mathfrak g}\)-action (or equivalently it can be described as the symmetric algebra on some space of primitive elements). Koszul duality in the sense of \textit{I. N. Bernstein, I. M. Gelfand} and \textit{S. I. Gelfand} [Funkt. Anal. Prilozh. 12, No. 3, 66-67 (1978; Zbl 0402.14005)] and further developed by \textit{M. Goresky, R. Kottwitz} and \textit{R. MacPherson} [Invent. Math. 131, 25-83 (1998; Zbl 0897.22009)] establishes an equivalence between the derived categories (of bounded below complexes of) \(\Lambda_{\bullet}\)-modules \(D_+(\Lambda_{\bullet})\) and \(S^{\bullet}\)-modules \(D_+(S^{\bullet})\). Denoting more generally by \(k\) an algebraically closed field, it is induced by the functors \(h= \Hom_k(\Lambda_{\bullet},-):K_+(S^{\bullet})\to K_+(\Lambda_{\bullet})\) and \(t=S^{\bullet}\otimes_k-:K_+(\Lambda_{\bullet})\to K_+(S^{\bullet})\) on the corresponding homotopy categories. In the special case where \(G\) acts on a manifold \(X\), Koszul duality is interpreted as a link between the equivariant cohomology of \(X\), i.e. the cohomology of its Borel construction \(EG\times_G X\) for some space \(EG\) modeling the total space of the universal \(G\)-bundle \(EG\to BG\), and the invariant cohomology of \(X\). The latter is the cohomology of the \({\mathfrak g}\)-invariants \(\Omega^{\bullet}(X)^{\mathfrak g}\) of the de Rham complex \(\Omega^{\bullet}(X)\) of \(X\); \(\Omega^{\bullet}(X)^{\mathfrak g}\) is quasi-isomorphic to \(\Omega^{\bullet}(X)\) by an averaging argument. Observing that \(\Omega^{\bullet}(X)^{\mathfrak g}\) gives rise to an object of \(D_+(\Lambda_{\bullet})\) and \(\Omega^{\bullet}(EG\times_G X)\) (if one can give a meaning to the de Rham complex) gives rise to an object of \(K_+(S^{\bullet})\), Koszul duality in this context is a functor on cochain level reconstructing equivariant from ordinary cohomology. In the article under review, the authors show how to formulate Koszul duality in a pure Lie algebraic framework. Namely, they define a category \(K({\mathfrak g})\) consisting of differential graded vector spaces \(M^{\bullet}=(M^{\bullet},d)\) with a ``contraction'' map \(i_{\lambda}:M^{\bullet}\to M^{\bullet-1}\) for each \(\lambda\in{\mathfrak g}\) such that \(i_{\lambda}\circ i_{\mu}=-i_{\mu}\circ i_{\lambda}\) and \([{\mathcal L}_{\lambda},i_{\mu}]=i_{[\lambda,\mu]}\) for all \(\lambda,\mu\in{\mathfrak g}\) where \({\mathcal L}_{\lambda}=d\circ i_{\mu}+i_{\lambda}\circ d\). \({\mathfrak g}\) acts on \(M^{\bullet}\) by means of this ``Lie derivative'' \({\mathcal L}\). For \(M^{\bullet}\in ob(K({\mathfrak g}))\), \(\Lambda{\mathfrak g}\) acts on \(M^{\bullet}\) via the contraction map and the \({\mathfrak g}\)-invariants \((M^{\bullet})^{\mathfrak g}\) are thus a differential graded module over \(\Lambda_{\bullet}\), defining on object of the derived category \(D(\Lambda_{\bullet})\), called the invariant cohomology of \(M^{\bullet}\). On the other hand, set \((M^{\bullet})_{\mathfrak g}=(S^{\bullet}{\mathfrak g}^*\otimes M^{\bullet})^{\mathfrak g}\). \((M^{\bullet})_{\mathfrak g}\) defines an object of \(D(S^{\bullet})\) called the equivariant cohomology of \(M^{\bullet}\). In the particular case where \(G\) acts on \(X\), it gives the Cartan model of \(\Omega^{\bullet}(EG\times_G X)\) for the equivariant cohomology of \(X\). In their main theorem, the authors show that \(h((M^{\bullet})_{\mathfrak g})\) is quasi-isomorphic to \((M^{\bullet})^{\mathfrak g}\), thus formulating Goresky, Kottwitz and MacPherson's Koszul duality in Lie algebraic terms. The proof consists in constructing a quasi-isomorphism \(\psi\) between \[ (\Lambda^{\bullet}{\mathfrak g}^*)^{\mathfrak g}\otimes(S^{\bullet}{\mathfrak g}^*\otimes M^{\bullet})^{\mathfrak g}\quad\text{ and }\quad(S^{\bullet}{\mathfrak g}^*\otimes\Lambda^{\bullet}{\mathfrak g}^*\otimes M^{\bullet})^{\mathfrak g} \] (because the latter is \((W({\mathfrak g})\otimes M^{\bullet})^{\mathfrak g}\) with the Weil algebra \(W({\mathfrak g})\) of \({\mathfrak g}\), which is quasi-isomorphic to \((M^{\bullet})^{\mathfrak g}\) for reductive \({\mathfrak g}\).) In order to do this, the authors extend an explicit isomorphism \((M^{\bullet})_{\mathfrak g}\to (W({\mathfrak g})\otimes M^{\bullet})_{\text{ basic}}\) (linking Cartan and Weil model of equivariant cohomology) to \(\psi\) using distinguished transgression elements. Thereby they correct a small inaccuracy in [M. Goresky, et al. (loc. cit.)]. Filtering by the degree in the symmetric algebra on both sides, one deduces quasi-isomorphy by a spectral sequence argument. Useful references in order to understand this densely written article are [M. Goresky, et al. (loc. cit.) and \textit{V. W. Guillemin} and \textit{S. Sternberg}, Supersymmetry and equivariant de Rham theory. Math. Past Present, Springer Berlin (1999; Zbl 0934.55007)].