The modular class of a singular foliation (Q6137695)

This paper expands the concept of the modular class, originally applied to regular foliations, to encompass singular foliations admitting a universal Lie \(\infty\)-algebroid [\textit{C. Laurent-Gengoux} et al., Doc. Math. 25, 1571--1652 (2020; Zbl 1453.53033)]. Recently, \textit{R. Caseiro} and \textit{C. Laurent-Gengoux} defined the modular class for Lie \(\infty\)-algebroids [J. Geom. Mech. 14, No. 2, 273--305 (2022; Zbl 1502.53115)], representing an obstruction to the existence of an invariant section of the associated Berezinian line bundle. The author uses the universal Lie \(\infty\)-algebroids to define the modular class of a singular foliation. This construction interprets the modular class of a singular foliation \(\mathcal F\) as the obstruction preventing the realization of a trivial \(\mathcal F\)-module structure on the Berezinian of any universal Lie \(\infty\)-algebroid associated with \(\mathcal F\). Notably, this general definition aligns with the established definition of the modular class for regular foliations. Several examples are given.