\(T\)-duality and exceptional generalized geometry through symmetries of dg-manifolds (Q2015120)

This paper exploits the formalism of differential graded (DG) manifolds to recover results on T-duality and exceptional generalized geometry. Recall that a DG manifold is a graded manifold (i.e., a ``manifold'' whose coordinate functions have non-negative degrees) endowed with a homological vector field \(Q\), i.e., a vector field of degree 1 satisfying \([Q,Q]=0\). An example is \(T[1]M\), for an ordinary manifold \(M\): Its functions are identified with the differential forms on \(M\), and \(Q\) is the de Rham differential. The paper starts with a gentle introduction focussing on DG manifolds of the form \(T[1]M\oplus \mathbb{R}[n]\), where \(\mathbb{R}[n]\) denotes the real line with a coordinate of degree \(n\). Relations to circle bundles over \(M\) and the twisted cohomology of \(M\) are drawn for \(n=1,2\). Then it is remarked that a homological vector field on the DG manifold \((T[1]M\oplus \mathbb{R}[1])\oplus \mathbb{R}[2]\) corresponds to a 3-form and a pair of 2-forms on \(M\) satisfying the same conditions imposed by T-duality of circle bundles over \(M\). The authors define a notion of T-duality in the formalism of DG manifolds, and recover the fact that the twisted cohomologies of T-dual bundles are isomorphic. The infinitesimal symmetries of a DG manifold are studied, among other things in the setting of T-duality, and allow to recover in a natural way a T-duality isomorphism for exact Courant algebroid as well as relations that appear in exceptional generalized geometry.