R 1∣1 -Supergroup Actions and Superdifferential Equations (Q4031469)

The setting of the paper under review is supermanifold theory as understood by Berezin-Leites-Kostant [see, e.g., \textit{Yu. I. Manin}, Gauge field theory and complex geometry (1988; Zbl 0576.53002)]. It is well known that an (infinitely) smooth solution to a \(C^ \infty\) ordinary differential equation on a smooth manifold \(M\) determines a flow on the manifold, that is, a smooth action of the simplest non-trivial Lie group \(\mathbb{R}\). It is tempting to conjecture that in the context of supermanifolds and super differential equations, where the supergroup \(\mathbb{R}^{1| 1}\) with one bosonic and one fermionic coordinates and the so-called additive supergroup structure plays the role of simplest Lie group, a solution to an ODE determines a supersmooth action of \(\mathbb{R}^{1| 1}\) on the supermanifold. The authors show that the actual situation is much more complex. It turns out that not for all supervector fields on supermanifolds the corresponding integral flows define a supergroup action of \(\mathbb{R}^{1| 1}\). For instance, this is the case where the original supervector field is nondegenerate and purely odd. As well as a large number of illuminating examples, the authors state and prove some necessary and some sufficient conditions for a supervector flow to determine an action of \(\mathbb{R}^{1| 1}\).