Modular class of Lie \(\infty\)-algebroids and adjoint representations (Q2161917)

The modular class is the obstruction to the existence of an invariant volume form. It has been studied in the literature for Lie algebras, regular foliations, Poisson structures, more generally for Lie algebroids and their morphisms. \textit{S. Lavau} recently constructed such a class for any singular foliation, using its associated Lie \(\infty\)-algebroid [``The modular class of a singular foliation'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:2203.10861}]. The principal result of the article under review is the proof of the homotopy invariance of the modular class of a Lie \(\infty\)-algebra. First the authors give two equivalent definitions of this class: One uses the supertrace of the adjoint action; the other defines the modular class as the divergence of the homological vector field which dualizes the Lie \(\infty\)-brackets. They show that these definitions apply to negatively graded \(Q\)-manifolds. Finally, by extending the Abad-Crainic definition of adjoint representation up to homotopy, they prove the homotopy invariance.