Courant-Dorfman algebras of differential operators and Dorfman connections of Courant algebroids (Q6204221)

Since their introduction by Liu, Weinstein and Xu [\textit{Z. Liu} et al., J. Differ. Geom. 45, No. 3, 547--574 (1997; Zbl 0885.58030)], \textit{Courant algebroids} have enjoyed much attention due to their strong relation to Dirac structures [\textit{T. J. Courant}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 319, No. 2, 631--661 (1990; Zbl 0850.70212); J. Phys. A, Math. Gen. 23, No. 22, 5153--5168 (1990; Zbl 0715.58013)]. It has been established [\textit{D. Roytenberg}, Contemp. Math. 315, 169--185 (2002; Zbl 1036.53057)] that the \textit{standard cohomology} of the \textit{standard complex} of a Courant algebroid is isomorphic to the de Rham cohomology of the corresponding symplectic graded manifold. Following the development of generalized geometry, the attention turned to connections of the generalized tangent bundle \ and more generally to \textit{Courant algebroid connections}, which are linear connections of a Courant algebroid to some vector bundle. \textit{M. Cueca} and \textit{R. A. Mehta} [Commun. Math. Phys. 381, No. 3, 1091--1113 (2021; Zbl 1465.53039)] used the version of the standard cochain complex of the algebraic definition of a Courant algebroid defined by \textit{F. Keller} and \textit{S. Waldmann} [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 219, No. 8, 3391--3426 (2015; Zbl 1315.53103)] to develop a theory of linear Courant algebroid connections in a way that mirrors the classical theory of connections. This paper takes up the approach to working with \textit{Dorfman connections} of Courant algebroids \(E\) on predual vector bundles \(B\), modifying and adapting their original defifnitions for dull algebroids [\textit{M. Jotz Lean}, J. Math. Pures Appl. (9) 116, 1--39 (2018; Zbl 1395.53014)]. The authors generalize Roytenberg's \textit{Courant-Dorfman algebra} \(\mathcal{C}(\mathcal{E};\mathcal{R})\) [Zbl 1233.16013] to an algebra \(\mathcal{D}(\mathcal{E};\mathcal{R})\) of multidifferential operators on tensor products of \(E\) (Definition 2.19), rigging it with a cochain complex structure. The synopsis of the paper goes as follows. \begin{itemize} \item[\S 2] establishes the following theorem. Theorem. For a Courant groupoid \(E\), we have \begin{enumerate} \item[(1)] The differential constractions and Cartan calculus in \(\mathcal{C} (\mathcal{E};\mathcal{R})\) extend to analogous operators and calculus in \(\mathcal{D}(\mathcal{E};\mathcal{R})\), making it a cochain complex, where the algebra \(\mathcal{C}(\mathcal{E};\mathcal{R})\) is Roytenberg's \textit{Courant-Dofman algebra} [\textit{D. Roytenberg}, Lett. Math. Phys. 90, No. 1--3, 311--351 (2009; Zbl 1233.16013)], while the algebra \(\mathcal{D}(\mathcal{E};\mathcal{R} )\) of multidifferential operators on tensor products of \(E\) is defined in Definition 2.19; \item[(2)] The projection map from \((\mathcal{D}(\mathcal{E};\mathcal{R}),d)\) to the subcomplex \(((\mathcal{D}_{m,m-1}^{p}(\mathcal{E};\mathcal{R}))_{p\in\mathbb{N},m\in\mathbb{N}^{\ast}},\partial_{L})\) of the Loday cochain complex \((\mathcal{D}(\mathcal{E};\mathcal{R}),\partial_{L})\) of \(E\) is a chain map. \end{enumerate} \item[\S 3] aims to show that the above construction is the natural environment of a theory of Dorfman connections, establishing the following theorem. Theorem. Given a Courant algebroid \(E\) and a predual vector bundel \(B\), we have \begin{enumerate} \item[(1)] The space of Dorfaman connections of \(E\) on \(B\) is nonempty; \item[(2)] The set of Dorfman connections carries an affine structure; \item[(3)] Each Dorfman connection defines a linear connection of the predual bundel \(B\) on \(E\); \item[(4)] The curvature of a Dorfman connection abides by the Bianchi identity. \end{enumerate} \end{itemize}