arXiv research

Simple construction of Lie 2-groups from loop group extensions.

Maps Lie 2-groups to Weil algebras, showing cohomology isomorphisms.

We prove a 2-categorical analogue of a classical result of Drinfeld: there is a one-to-one correspondence between connected, simply-connected Poisson Lie 2-groups and Lie 2-bialgebras. In fact, we also prove that there is a one-to-one correspondence between connected, simply connected quasi-Poisson 2-groups and quasi-L…

In this easy introduction to higher gauge theory, we describe parallel transport for particles and strings in terms of 2-connections on 2-bundles. Just as ordinary gauge theory involves a gauge group, this generalization involves a gauge '2-group'. We focus on 6 examples. First, every abelian Lie group gives a Lie 2-gr…

The paper constructs automorphisms of Lie groupoids and applies them to symplectic reductions on orbifolds.

In this paper we study the cohomology of (strict) Lie 2-groups. We obtain an explicit Bott-Shulman type map in the case of a Lie 2-group corresponding to the crossed module $A\to 1$. The cohomology of the Lie 2-groups corresponding to the universal crossed modules $G\to \Aut(G)$ and $G\to \Aut^+(G)$ is the abutment of …

Constructs 2-representations and 2-vector bundles for Lie 2-groups.

We construct a model for the string group as an infinite-dimensional Lie group. In a second step we extend this model by a contractible Lie group to a Lie 2-group model. To this end we need to establish some facts on the homotopy theory of Lie 2-groups. Moreover, we provide an explicit comparison of string structures f…

Study Lie 2-group actions on Riemannian groupoids, proving existence and developing geometric Killing vector fields.

Lie's Third Theorem, asserting that each finite-dimensional Lie algebra is the Lie algebra of a Lie group, fails in infinite dimensions. The modern account on this phenomenon is the integration problem for central extensions of infinite-dimensional Lie algebras, which in turn is phrased in terms of an integration proce…

We describe an interesting relation between Lie 2-algebras, the Kac-Moody central extensions of loop groups, and the group $\mathrm{String}(n)$. A Lie 2-algebra is a categorified version of a Lie algebra where the Jacobi identity holds up to a natural isomorphism called the "Jacobiator". Similarly, a Lie 2-group is a c…

We give a complete and explicit description of the kinematical data of higher gauge theory on principal 2-bundles with the string 2-group model of Schommer-Pries as structure 2-group. We start with a self-contained review of the weak 2-category Bibun of Lie groupoids, bibundles and bibundle morphisms. We then construct…

A Lie 2-group $G$ is a category internal to the category of Lie groups. Consequently it is a monoidal category and a Lie groupoid. The Lie groupoid structure on $G$ gives rise to the Lie 2-algebra $\mathbb{X}(G)$ of multiplicative vector fields, see (Berwick-Evans -- Lerman). The monoidal structure on $G$ gives rise to…

In this thesis, we introduce a new cohomology theory associated to a Lie 2-algebras and a new cohomology theory associated to a Lie 2-group. These cohomology theories are shown to extend the classical cohomology theories of Lie algebras and Lie groups in that their second groups classify extensions. We use this fact to…

In this paper we address the question of the existence of a model for the string 2-group as a strict Lie-2-group using the free loop group $LSpin$ (or more generally $LG$ for compact simple simply-connected Lie groups $G$). Baez-Crans-Stevenson-Schreiber constructed a model for the string 2-group using a based loop gro…

The purpose of this paper is to show how central extensions of (possibly infinite-dimensional) Lie algebras integrate to central extensions of étale Lie 2-groups. In finite dimensions, central extensions of Lie algebras integrate to central extensions of Lie groups, a fact which is due to the vanishing of π_2 for each …

New smooth 2-group extensions from bundle gerbes on manifolds.

Parallel transport defined for 2-bundles over Lie groupoids.

We show how to integrate a weak morphism of Lie algebra crossed-modules to a weak morphism of Lie 2-groups. To do so we develop a theory of butterflies for 2-term L_infty algebras. In particular, we obtain a new description of the bicategory of 2-term L_infty algebras. We use butterflies to give a functorial constructi…

Study of gauge theory and parallel transport in Lie 2-group bundles over Lie groupoids.

For a strict Lie 2-group, we develop a notion of Lie 2-algebra-valued differential forms on Lie groupoids, furnishing a differential graded-commutative Lie algebra equipped with an adjoint action of the Lie 2-group and a pullback operation along Morita equivalences between Lie groupoids. Using this notion, we define co…

Every singular foliation has an associated topological groupoid, called holonomy groupoid (see arXiv:math/0612370). In this note we exhibit some functorial properties of this assignment: if a foliated manifold $(M,\mathcal{F}_M)$ is the quotient of a foliated manifold $(P,\mathcal{F}_P)$ along a surjective submersion w…

In this paper, for a Lie 2-algebra $\g$, we construct the automorphism 2-group $\Aut(\g)$, which turns out to be an integration of the derivation Lie 2-algebra $\Der(\g)$.

We develop semistrict higher gauge theory from first principles. In particular, we describe the differential Deligne cohomology underlying semistrict principal 2-bundles with connective structures. Principal 2-bundles are obtained in terms of weak 2-functors from the Cech groupoid to weak Lie 2-groups. As is demonstrat…

In this note we present a new construction of the string group that ends optionally in two different contexts: strict diffeological 2-groups or finite-dimensional Lie 2-groups. It is canonical in the sense that no choices are involved; all the data is written down and can be looked up (at least somewhere). The basis of…

Let $G$ be a Lie group and $G\to\Aut(G)$ be the canonical group homomorphism induced by the adjoint action of a group on itself. We give an explicit description of a 1-1 correspondence between Morita equivalence classes of, on the one hand, principal 2-group $[G\to\Aut(G)]$-bundles over Lie groupoids and, on the other …

Method constructs 2-bundles over homogeneous spaces.

Proves integrability of strict Lie 2-algebras using cohomological methods.

The semidirect product of a Lie algebra and a 2-term representation up to homotopy is a Lie 2-algebra. Such Lie 2-algebras include many examples arising from the Courant algebroid appearing in generalized complex geometry. In this paper, we integrate such a Lie 2-algebra to a strict Lie 2-group in the finite dimensiona…

In the first part of this paper, we work out a perturbative Lagrangian formulation of semistrict higher gauge theory, that avoids the subtleties of the relationship between Lie 2-groups and algebras by relying exclusively on the structure semistrict Lie 2-algebra v and its automorphism 2-group Aut(v). Gauge transformat…

Defines non-Abelian gerbes with connections for physical applications.

We introduce an axiomatic framework for the parallel transport of connections on gerbes. It incorporates parallel transport along curves and along surfaces, and is formulated in terms of gluing axioms and smoothness conditions. The smoothness conditions are imposed with respect to a strict Lie 2-group, which plays the …

We define a 3-loop group $Ω^3G$ as a subgroup of smooth maps from a 3-ball to a Lie group $G$, and then construct a 2-group based on an automorphic action on the Mickelsson-Faddeev extension of $Ω^3G$. In this we follow the strategy of Murray et al., who earlier described a similar construction in one dimension. The th…

We consider a simple instance of action up to homotopy. More precisely, we consider strict actions of DGLAs in degrees -1 and 0 on degree 1 NQ-manifolds. In a more conventional language this means: strict actions of Lie algebra crossed modules on Lie algebroids. When the action is strict, we show that it integrates to …

Lie's third theorem proven for Lie ∞-algebras.

We show that the leaves of an LA-groupoid which pass through the unit manifold are, modulo a connectedness issue, Lie groupoids. We illustrate this phenomenon by considering the cotangent Lie algebroids of Poisson groupoids thus obtaining an interesting class of symplectic groupoids coming from their symplectic foliati…

Computes the component group of arbitrary real algebraic groups.

This work introduces a unified approach to the reduction of Poisson manifolds using their description by graded symplectic manifolds. This yields a generalization of the classical Poisson reduction by distributions (Marsden-Ratiu reduction). Further it allows one to construct actions of strict Lie 2-groups and to descr…

We discuss various lifting and reduction problems for bundles and gerbes in the context of a strict Lie 2-group. We obtain a geometrical formulation (and a new proof) for the exactness of Breen's long exact sequence in non-abelian cohomology. We use our geometrical formulation in order to define a transgression map in …

This work constructs groupoids from flat bundles over surfaces.

Constructs a representation of the string 2-group on a von Neumann algebra.

We show that general relativity can be viewed as a higher gauge theory involving a categorical group, or 2-group, called the teleparallel 2-group. On any semi-Riemannian manifold M, we first construct a principal 2-bundle with the Poincare 2-group as its structure 2-group. Any flat metric-preserving connection on M giv…

In this paper we introduce principal 2-bundles and show how they are classified by non-abelian Cech cohomology. Moreover, we show that their gauge 2-groups can be described by 2-group-valued functors, much like in classical bundle theory. Using this, we show that, under some mild requirements, these gauge 2-groups poss…

Constructs 2-vector bundles and 2K-theory for Lie groupoids and 2-equivariant settings.

A group, defined as set with associative multiplication and inverse, is a natural structure describing the symmetry of a space. The concept of group generalizes to group objects internal to other categories than sets. But there are yet more general objects that can still be thought of as groups in many ways, such as qu…

In this paper, we show that an infinite 2-group of bounded exponent cannot act faithfully and smoothly on compact manifolds.

Paper defines PB-groupoids and their relation to VB-groupoids.

We give an explicit handy (and cocycle-free) description of the groupoid of weak maps between two crossed-modules in terms of certain digrams of groups which we we call a {\em butterflies}. We define composition of butterflies and this way find a bicategory that is naturally biequivalent to the 2-category of pointed ho…