The BV-algebra of a Jacobi manifold (Q4521783)

A Jacobi bracket \(\{ , \}\) on a manifold \(M\) is the most general local bilinear operator on the space of real functions on \(M\) which is skew-symmetric and satisfies Jacobi's identity. Jacobi structures are the natural generalization of Poisson structures and include other interesting examples which are not Poisson like contact and locally conformal symplectic manifolds. In fact, a Jacobi manifold is made of pieces which are contact or locally conformal symplectic manifolds. On the other hand, the cotangent Lie algebroid of a Poisson manifold has associated a Gerstenhaber algebra with exact generator, that is, a BV-algebra. This generator defines the canonical homology of the Poisson manifold. For the case of a Jacobi manifold \(M\), \textit{Y. Kerbrat} and \textit{Z. Souici-Benhammadi} [C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. I 317, 81-86 (1993; Zbl 0804.58015)] obtained a Lie algebroid structure on the 1-jet vector bundle \(J^1(M)=T^*M \oplus\mathbb{R}\). In the particular case when \(M\) is a Poisson manifold, the Lie algebroid on \(T^*M\) is obtained by projection. In this paper the author proves that the Gerstenhaber algebra associated with the Lie algebroid on the 1-jet vector bundle of a Jacobi manifold \(M\) has an exact generator and therefore it becomes a BV-algebra. Moreover, he discusses duality between the homology of this BV-algebra (the Jacobi homology) and the cohomology of the Lie algebroid associated with the Jacobi manifold (the Jacobi cohomology). This last cohomology plays an important role in the geometric quantization of the Jacobi manifold [see \textit{M. de León}, \textit{J. C. Marrero} and \textit{E. Padrón}, J. Math. Phys. 38, 6185-6213 (1997; Zbl 0898.58024)]. Using the correspondence between exact Gerstenhaber algebra structures and Lie algebroids together with flat connections on the top exterior power of the Lie algebroid [see \textit{P. Xu}, Commun. Math. Phys. 200, 545-560 (1999; Zbl 0941.17016)], the author introduces the modular class of a Jacobi manifold \(M\) as an element of the first Jacobi cohomology group and proves that if such a class vanishes, the Jacobi cohomology and the Jacobi homology of \(M\) are dual to each other. In particular, the case of transitive Jacobi manifolds (contact manifolds and locally conformal symplectic manifolds) is studied. In the last part of the paper, the following problem is posed. For a Poisson manifold \(M\) is the pair \((TM,T^*M)\) a canonical Lie bialgebroid? This result is not true if \(M\) is a Jacobi manifold and if we consider the pair \(((J^1M)^*=TM \oplus\mathbb{R}\), \(J^1M=T^*M \oplus\mathbb{R})\) and the natural Lie algebroid structure on \(TM\oplus\mathbb{R}\) which extends the one of \(M\). Now, what happens when one has a Poisson bivector on \(TM\oplus \mathbb{R}\)? The author shows that a Poisson bivector \(P\) on \(M\) and an infinitesimal automorphism of \(P\) provide a Poisson bivector \(\Pi\) on \(TM\oplus\mathbb{R}\) with the natural Lie bracket on \(TM\oplus\mathbb{R}\). Thus, \(\Pi\) induces a Lie bracket on \(T^*M\oplus \mathbb{R}\) such that \((TM\oplus \mathbb{R},TM^*\oplus \mathbb{R})\) is a triangular Lie bialgebroid. Recently, \textit{D. Iglesias} and \textit{J. C. Marrero} [J. Geom. Phys. 40, 176-199 (2001 Zbl 1001.17025)] have introduced a generalization of the notion of a Lie bialgebroid, in such a way that to a Jacobi manifold is a canonical generalized Lie bialgebroid is associated.