On the geometry of prequantization spaces (Q2469968)

Prequantization of a Poisson manifold \(P\) is a faithful representation of its Lie algebra of functions endowed with the Poisson bracket mapping constants into multiples of identity. Under the usual construction the representation space consists of sections of a line bundle over \(P\) or equivalently, anti-equivariant functions on the corresponding circle bundle. An analogous notion can be introduced for Dirac manifolds that generalize the Poisson ones to systems with constraints. \textit{A. Weinstein} [Symplectic geometry and mathematical physics, Proc. Colloq., Aix-en-Provence (1991; Zbl 0756.58022)] suggested an alternative approach to quantization that involves building a canonical symplectic groupoid \(\Gamma_s(P)\) first and then considering circle bundles over it. In both cases one encounters Lie algebroids associated to the circle bundles carrying Jacobi-Dirac structures. The main aim of this paper is to study the relation between these two Lie algebroids. To this end the authors first characterize the Jacobi-Dirac structures in terms of subbundles and brackets of functions. The main result states that the Lie algebroid over a Dirac manifold \(P\) is obtained from the Lie algebroid over \(\Gamma_s(P)\) by \(S^1\) precontact reduction (generalizing symplectic reduction). Along the way it is established that the prequantization condition for \(\Gamma_s(P)\) follows from that for \(P\) and can be expressed in terms of period groups on \(P\).