Modular classes of Lie groupoid representations up to homotopy (Q887730)

This paper gives a description of a modular class associated to a representation up to homotopy of a Lie groupoid. Let us recall that the modular class of a Lie groupoid was first introduced by \textit{S. Evens} et al. [Q. J. Math., Oxf. II. Ser. 50, No. 200, 417--436 (1999; Zbl 0968.58014)] and that the modular class of a Lie groupoid can be interpreted as the obstruction to the existence of a volume form as proved by \textit{A. Weinstein} [Lett. Math. Phys. 90, No. 1--3, 353--371 (2009; Zbl 1185.58007)]. In recent years, the representation up to homotopy of a Lie groupoid has been defined by \textit{C. Arias Abad} and \textit{M. Crainic} [Adv. Math. 248, 416--452 (2013; Zbl 1284.55018)]. With this definition, there are difficulties to carry over the Evens-Lu-Weinstein construction. In this work, the author succeeds in constructing a week-defined true representation on the Berezinian line bundle. After some recalls about Lie groupoids, he explains how modular classes are defined for Lie groupoids. Then, he constructs modular classes for Lie groupoid representations up to homotopy. The case of the adjoint representation up to homotopy is considered and the modular class is finally described as the obstruction to the existence of the volume form in the sense of Weinstein.