Using the machinery of the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism, we construct cohomology classes on compactifications of the moduli space of Riemann surfaces from the data of a contractible differential graded Frobenius algebra. We describe how evaluating these cohomology classes upon a well-known construction producing homology classes in the moduli space can be expressed in terms of the Feynman diagram expansion of some functional integral. By computing these integrals for specific examples, we are able to demonstrate that this construction produces families of nontrivial classes.
We show that the reduced Hochschild homology of a DG open Frobenius algebra has the natural structure of a Batalin-Vilkovisky coalgebra, and the reduced cyclic homology has the natural structure of a gravity coalgebra. This gives an algebraic model for a Batalin-Vilkovisky coalgebra structure on the reduced homology of the free loop space of a simply connected closed oriented manifold, and a gravity coalgebra structure on the reduced equivariant homology.
We show that the Connes-Moscovici cyclic cohomology of a Hopf algebra equipped with a character has a Lie bracket of degree -2. More generally, we show that a "cyclic operad with multiplication" is a cocyclic module whose cohomology is a Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra and whose cyclic cohomology is a graded Lie algebra of degree -2. This explain why the Hochschild cohomology algebra of a symmetric algebra is a Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra.
We show that a graded commutative algebra A with any square zero odd differential operator is a natural generalization of a Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra. While such an operator of order 2 defines a Gerstenhaber (Lie) algebra structure on A, an operator of an order higher than 2 (Koszul-Akman definition) leads to the structure of a strongly homotopy Lie algebra (L$_\infty$-algebra) on A. This allows us to give a definition of a Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra up to homotopy. We also make a conjecture which is a generalization of the formality theorem of Kontsevich to the Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra lev…
Let $M$ be any compact simply-connected $d$-dimensional smooth manifold and let $\mathbb{F}$ be any field. We show that the Gerstenhaber algebra structure on the Hochschild cohomology on the singular cochains of $M$, $HH^*(S^*(M);S^*(M))$, extends to a Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra. Such Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra was conjecturated to exist and is expected to be isomorphic to the Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra on the free loop space homology on $M$, $H_{*+d}(LM)$ introduced by Chas and Sullivan. We also show that the negative cyclic cohomology $HC^*_-(S^*(M))$ has a Lie bracket. Such Lie bracket is e…
The Batalin-Vilkovisky master equations, both classical and quantum, are precisely the integrability equations for deformations of algebras and differential algebras respectively. This is not a coincidence; the Batalin-Vilkovisky approach is here translated into the language of deformation theory.
The algebraic and geometric structures of deformations are analyzed concerning topological field theories of Schwarz type by means of the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism. Deformations of the Chern-Simons-BF theory in three dimensions induces the Courant algebroid structure on the target space as a sigma model. Deformations of BF theories in $n$ dimensions are also analyzed. Two dimensional deformed BF theory induces the Poisson structure and three dimensional deformed BF theory induces the Courant algebroid structure on the target space as a sigma model. The deformations of BF theories in $n$ dim…
We give the operadic formulation of (weak, strong) topological vertex algebras, which are variants of topological vertex operator algebras studied recently by Lian and Zuckerman. As an application, we obtain a conceptual and geometric construction of the Batalin-Vilkovisky algebraic structure (or the Gerstenhaber algebra structure) on the cohomology of a topological vertex algebra (or of a weak topological vertex algebra) by combining this operadic formulation with a theorem of Getzler (or of Cohen) which formulates Batalin-Vilkovisky algebras (or Gerstenhaber algebras) in terms of the homolog…
This is a survey of `Cohomological Physics', a phrase that first appeared in the context of anomalies in gauge theory. Differential forms were implicit in physics at least as far back as Gauss (1833) (cf. his electro-magnetic definition of the linking number), and more visibly in Dirac's magnetic monopole (1931). The magnetic charge was given by the first Chern number. Thus were characteristic classes (and by implication the cohomology of Lie algebras and of Lie groups) introduced into physics. The `ghosts' introduced by Fade'ev and Popov were incorporated into what came to be known as BRST co…
This paper gives a way to renormalise certain quantum field theories on compact manifolds. Examples include Yang-Mills theory (in dimension 4 only), Chern-Simons theory and holomorphic Chern-Simons theory. The method is within the framework of the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism. Chern-Simons theory is renormalised in a way respecting all symmetries (up to homotopy). This yields an invariant of smooth manifolds: a certain algebraic structure on the cohomology of the manifold tensored with a Lie algebra, which is a "higher loop" enrichment of the natural Lie-infinity structure.
We give a conceptual formulation of Kontsevich's `dual construction' producing graph cohomology classes from a differential graded Frobenius algebra with an odd scalar product. Our construction -- whilst equivalent to the original one -- is combinatorics-free and is based on the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism, from which its gauge-independence is immediate.
This short note is closely related to Sen-Zwiebach paper on gauge transformations in Batalin-Vilkovisky theory (hep-th 9309027). We formulate some conditions of physical equivalence of solutions to the quantum master equation and use these conditions to give a very transparent analysis of symmetry transformations in BV-approach. We prove that in some sense every quantum observable (i.e. every even function $H$ obeying $Δ_ρ(He^S)=0$) determines a symmetry of the theory with the action functional $S$ satisfying quantum master equation $Δ_ρe^S=0$ \end
We explain the effective renormalization method of quantum field theory in the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism and illustrate its mathematical applications by three geometric examples: (1) Topological quantum mechanics and algebraic index, (2) Elliptic curve and higher genus mirror symmetry, (3) Calabi-Yau geometry and integrable hierarchy. This note is an expansion of author's talk at ICCM 2016.
We study an equivariant extension of the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism for quantizing gauge theories. Namely, we introduce a general framework to encompass failures of the quantum master equation, and we apply it to the natural equivariant extension of AKSZ solutions of the classical master equation (CME). As examples of the construction, we recover the equivariant extension of supersymmetric Yang-Mills in 2d and of Donaldson-Witten theory.
Given a smooth family of massless free fermions parametrized by a base manifold $B$, we show that the (mathematically rigorous) Batalin-Vilkovisky quantization of the observables of this family gives rise to the determinant line bundle for the corresponding family of Dirac operators.
The goal of this article is to develop BV (Batalin-Vilkovisky) formalism in the $p$-adic Dwork theory. Based on this formalism, we explicitly construct a $p$-adic dGBV algebra (differential Gerstenhaber-Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra) for a smooth projective complete intersection variety $X$ over a finite field, whose cohomology gives the $p$-adic Dwork cohomology of $X$, and its cochain endomorphism (the $p$-adic Dwork Frobenius operator) which encodes the information of the zeta function $X$. As a consequence, we give a modern deformation theoretic interpretation of Dwork's theory of the zeta fu…
We study linear Batalin-Vilkovisky (BV) quantization, which is a derived and shifted version of the Weyl quantization of symplectic vector spaces. Using a variety of homotopical machinery, we implement this construction as a symmetric monoidal functor of $\infty$-categories. We also show that this construction has a number of pleasant properties: It has a natural extension to derived algebraic geometry, it can be fed into the higher Morita category of $E_n$-algebras to produce a "higher BV quantization" functor, and when restricted to formal moduli problems, it behaves like a determinant. Alon…
It is proven that, for any affine supermanifold $M$ equipped with a constant odd symplectic structure, there is a universal action (up to homotopy) of the Grothendieck-Teichmüller Lie algebra $\mathfrak{grt}_1$ on the set of quantum BV structures (i. e.\ solutions of the quantum master equation) on $M$.
Gauge theories that have been first quantized using the Hamiltonian BRST operator formalism are described as classical Hamiltonian BRST systems with a BRST charge of the form <Ψ,ΩΨ>_{even} and with natural ghost and parity degrees for all fields. The associated proper solution of the classical Batalin-Vilkovisky master equation is constructed from first principles. Both of these formulations can be used as starting points for second quantization. In the case of time reparametrization invariant systems, the relation to the standard <Ψ,ΩΨ>_{odd} master action is established.
This paper analyzes in details the Batalin-Vilkovisky quantization procedure for BF theories on n-dimensional manifolds and describes a suitable superformalism to deal with the master equation and the search of observables. In particular, generalized Wilson loops for BF theories with additional polynomial B-interactions are discussed in any dimensions. The paper also contains the explicit proofs to the Theorems stated in math.QA/0003073.
I show that a summation over ribbon graphs with legs gives the construction of the solutions to the noncommutative Batalin-Vilkovisky equation, including the equivariant version. This generalizes the known construction of A-infinity algebra via summation over ribbon trees. These solutions give naturally the supersymmetric matrix action functionals, which are the gl(N)-equivariantly closed differential forms on the matrix spaces, which were introduced in one of my previous papers "Noncommmutative Batalin-Vilkovisky geometry and Matrix integrals" (arXiv:0912.5484, electronic CNRS preprint hal-00…
In this paper, we initiate the study of the Givental group action on Cohomological Field Theories in terms of homotopical algebra. More precisely, we show that the stabilisers of Topological Field Theories in genus 0 (respectively in genera 0 and 1) are in one-to-one correspondence with commutative homotopy Batalin--Vilkovisky algebras (respectively wheeled commutative homotopy BV-algebras).
We explicitly construct a universal A-infinity deformation of Batalin-Vilkovisky algebras, with all coefficients expressed as rational sums of multiple zeta values. If the Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra that we start with is cyclic, then so is the A-infinity deformation. Moreover, the adjoint action of the odd Poisson bracket acts by derivations of the A-infinity structure. The construction conjecturally defines a new presentation of the Grothendieck-Teichmueller Lie algebra.
We apply the modern Batalin-Vilkovisky quantization techniques of Costello and Gwilliam to noncommutative field theories in the finite-dimensional case of fuzzy spaces. We further develop a generalization of this framework to theories that are equivariant under a triangular Hopf algebra symmetry, which in particular leads to quantizations of finite-dimensional analogs of the field theories proposed recently through the notion of `braided $L_\infty$-algebras'. The techniques are illustrated by computing perturbative correlation functions for scalar and Chern-Simons theories on the fuzzy $2$-sph…
In this article, we show under what additional ingredients a comp (or opposite) module over an operad with multiplication can be given the structure of a cyclic k-module and how the underlying simplicial homology gives rise to a Batalin-Vilkovisky module over the cohomology of the operad. In particular, one obtains a generalised Lie derivative and a generalised (cyclic) cap product that obey a Cartan-Rinehart homotopy formula, and hence yield the structure of a noncommutative differential calculus in the sense of Nest, Tamarkin, Tsygan, and others. Examples include the calculi known for the Ho…
We show under what conditions the complex computing general Ext-groups carries the structure of a cyclic operad such that Ext becomes a Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra. This is achieved by transferring cyclic cohomology theories for the dual of a (left) Hopf algebroid to the complex in question, which asks for the notion of contramodules introduced along with comodules by Eilenberg-Moore half a century ago. Another crucial ingredient is an explicit formula for the inverse of the Hopf-Galois map on the dual, by which we illustrate recent categorical results and answer a long-standing open question. …
This paper provides an explicit cofibrant resolution of the operad encoding Batalin-Vilkovisky algebras. Thus it defines the notion of homotopy Batalin-Vilkovisky algebras with the required homotopy properties. To define this resolution we extend the theory of Koszul duality to operads and properads that are defind by quadratic and linear relations. The operad encoding Batalin-Vilkovisky algebras is shown to be Koszul in this sense. This allows us to prove a Poincare-Birkhoff-Witt Theorem for such an operad and to give an explicit small quasi-free resolution for it. This particular resolution …
The aim of these notes is to introduce the quantum master equation $\{S,S\}-2i\hbarΔS=0$, and to show its relations to the theory of Lie algebras representations and to perturbative expansions of Gaussian integrals. The relations of the classical master equation $\{S,S\}=0$ with the BRST formalisms are also described. Being an introduction, only finite-dimensional examples will be considered.
We consider two different constructions of higher brackets. First, based on a Grassmann-odd, nilpotent Δoperator, we define a non-commutative generalization of the higher Koszul brackets, which are used in a generalized Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra, and we show that they form a homotopy Lie algebra. Secondly, we investigate higher, so-called derived brackets built from symmetrized, nested Lie brackets with a fixed nilpotent Lie algebra element Q. We find the most general Jacobi-like identity that such a hierarchy satisfies. The numerical coefficients in front of each term in these generalized Ja…
These notes are intended to provide a self-contained introduction to the basic ideas of finite dimensional Batalin-Vilkovisky (BV) formalism and its applications. A brief exposition of super- and graded geometries is also given. The BV-formalism is introduced through an odd Fourier transform and the algebraic aspects of integration theory are stressed. As a main application we consider the perturbation theory for certain finite dimensional integrals within BV-formalism. As an illustration we present a proof of the isomorphism between the graph complex and the Chevalley-Eilenberg complex of for…
This is a copy of the article published in IMRN (2007). I describe the noncommutative Batalin-Vilkovisky geometry associated naturally with arbitrary modular operad. The classical limit of this geometry is the noncommutative symplectic geometry of the corresponding tree-level cyclic operad. I show, in particular, that the algebras over the Feynman transform of a twisted modular operad P are in one-to-one correspondence with solutions to quantum master equation of Batalin-Vilkovisky geometry on the affine P-manifolds. As an application I give a construction of characteristic classes with values…
This article studies the algebraic structure of homology theories defined by a left Hopf algebroid U over a possibly noncommutative base algebra A, such as for example Hochschild, Lie algebroid (in particular Lie algebra and Poisson), or group and etale groupoid (co)homology. Explicit formulae for the canonical Gerstenhaber algebra structure on Ext_U(A,A) are given. The main technical result constructs a Lie derivative satisfying a generalised Cartan-Rinehart homotopy formula whose essence is that Tor^U(M,A) becomes for suitable right U-modules M a Batalin-Vilkovisky module over Ext_U(A,A), or…
For almost any compact connected Lie group $G$ and any field $\mathbb{F}\_p$, we compute the Batalin-Vilkoviskyalgebra $H^{*+\text{dim }G}(LBG;\mathbb{F}\_p)$ on the loop cohomology of the classifying space introduced byChataur and the second author.In particular, if $p$ is odd or $p=0$, this Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra is isomorphicto the Hochschild cohomology $HH^*(H\_*(G),H\_*(G))$. Over $\mathbb{F}\_2$, such isomorphism of Batalin-Vilkovisky algebrasdoes not hold when $G=SO(3)$ or $G=G\_2$.
Let $M$ be a path-connected closed oriented $d$-dimensional smooth manifold and let ${\Bbbk}$ be a principal ideal domain. By Chas and Sullivan, the shifted free loop space homology of $M$, $H_{*+d}(LM)$ is a Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra. Let $G$ be a topological group such that $M$ is a classifying space of $G$. Denote by $S_*(G)$ the (normalized) singular chains on $G$. Suppose that $G$ is discrete or path-connected. We show that there is a Van Den Bergh type isomorphism $$ HH^{-p}(S_*(G),S_*(G))\cong HH_{p+d}(S_*(G),S_*(G)). $$ Therefore, the Gerstenhaber algebra $HH^{*}(S_*(G),S_*(G))$ is a …
The purpose of this paper is to explain and to generalize, in a homotopical way, the result of Barannikov-Kontsevich and Manin which states that the underlying homology groups of some Batalin-Vilkovisky algebras carry a Frobenius manifold structure. To this extent, we first make the minimal model for the operad encoding BV-algebras explicit. Then we prove a homotopy transfer theorem for the associated notion of homotopy BV-algebra. The final result provides an extension of the action of the homology of the Deligne-Mumford-Knudsen moduli space of genus 0 curves on the homology of some BV-algebr…
In this article, we extend our preceding studies on higher algebraic structures of (co)homology theories defined by a left bialgebroid (U,A). For a braided commutative Yetter-Drinfel'd algebra N, explicit expressions for the canonical Gerstenhaber algebra structure on Ext_U(A,N) are given. Similarly, if (U,A) is a left Hopf algebroid where A is an anti Yetter-Drinfel'd module over U, it is shown that the cochain complex computing Cotor_U(A,N) defines a cyclic operad with multiplication and hence the groups Cotor_U(A,N) form a Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra. In the second part of this article, Pois…
We associate the new type of supersymmetric matrix models with any solution to the quantum master equation of the noncommutative Batalin-Vilkovisky geometry. The asymptotic expansion of the matrix integrals gives homology classes in the Kontsevich compactification of the moduli spaces, which we associated with the solutions to the quantum master equation in our previous paper. We associate with the queer matrix superalgebra equipped with an odd differentiation, whose square is nonzero, the family of cohomology classes of the compactification. This family is the generating function for the prod…
Kontsevich's formality theorem states that the differential graded Lie algebra of multidifferential operators on a manifold M is L-infinity-quasi-isomorphic to its cohomology. The construction of the L-infinity map is given in terms of integrals of differential forms on configuration spaces of points in the upper half-plane. Here we consider configuration spaces of points in the disk and work equivariantly with respect to the rotation group. This leads to considering the differential graded Lie algebra of multivector fields endowed with a divergence operator. In the case of R^d with standard v…
We define the concept of higher order differential operators on a general noncommutative, nonassociative superalgebra A, and show that a vertex operator superalgebra has plenty of them, namely modes of vertex operators. A linear operator Δis a differential operator of order at most r if an inductively defined (r+1)-form Φ_Δ^{r+1} is identically zero. When A is supercommutative and associative and Δis an odd, square zero, second order differential operator on A, Φ_Δ^2 defines a "Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra" structure on A. We generalize this notion to any superalgebra with an odd, square zero, s…
Using five basic principles we treat Gerstenhaber/Lie brackets, BV operators and Master equations appearing in mathematical and physical contexts in a unified way. The different contexts for this are given by the different types of (Feynman) graphs that underlie the particular situation. Two of the maxims we bring forth are (1) that extending to the non-connected graphs gives a commutative multiplication forming a part of the BV structure and (2) that there is a universal odd twist that unifies and explains seemingly ad hoc choices of signs, and is responsible for the BV operator being a diffe…
Into a geometric setting, we import the physical interpretation of index theorems via semi-classical analysis in topological quantum field theory. We develop a direct relationship between Fedosov's deformation quantization of a symplectic manifold X and the BV quantization of a one-dimensional sigma model with target X. This model is a quantum field theory of AKSZ type and is quantized rigorously using Costello's homotopic theory of effective renormalization. We show that Fedosov's Abelian connections on the Weyl bundle produce solutions to the effective quantum master equation. Moreover, BV i…
These notes give an introduction to the mathematical framework of the Batalin-Vilkovisky and Batalin-Fradkin-Vilkovisky formalisms. Some of the presented content was given as a mini course by the first author at the 2018 QSPACE conference in Benasque.
We perform the Batalin-Vilkovisky analysis of gauge-fixing for graded Chern-Simons theories. Upon constructing an appropriate gauge-fixing fermion, we implement a Landau-type constraint, finding a simple form of the gauge-fixed action. This allows us to extract the associated Feynman rules taking into account the role of ghosts and antighosts. Our gauge-fixing procedure allows for zero-modes, hence is not limited to the acyclic case. We also discuss the semiclassical approximation and the effective potential for massless modes, thereby justifying some of our previous constructions in the Batal…
We show that the local observables of the curved beta gamma system encode the sheaf of chiral differential operators using the machinery of the book "Factorization algebras in quantum field theory", by Kevin Costello and the second author, which combines renormalization, the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism, and factorization algebras. Our approach is in the spirit of deformation quantization via Gelfand-Kazhdan formal geometry. We begin by constructing a quantization of the beta gamma system with an n-dimensional formal disk as the target. There is an obstruction to quantizing equivariantly with …
Twilled L(ie-)R(inehart)-algebras generalize, in the Lie-Rinehart context, complex structures on smooth manifolds. An almost complex manifold determines an "almost twilled pre-LR algebra", which is a true twilled LR-algebra iff the almost complex structure is integrable. We characterize twilled LR structures in terms of certain associated differential (bi)graded Lie and G(erstenhaber)-algebras; in particular the G-algebra arising from an almost complex structure is a d(ifferential) G-algebra iff the almost complex structure is integrable. Such G-algebras, endowed with a generator turning them …
We review and extend the Alexandrov-Kontsevich-Schwarz-Zaboronsky construction of solutions of the Batalin-Vilkovisky classical master equation. In particular, we study the case of sigma models on manifolds with boundary. We show that a special case of this construction yields the Batalin-Vilkovisky action functional of the Poisson sigma model on a disk. As we have shown in a previous paper, the perturbative quantization of this model is related to Kontsevich's deformation quantization of Poisson manifolds and to his formality theorem. We also discuss the action of diffeomorphisms of the targe…
A general construction of an sh Lie algebra from a homological resolution of a Lie algebra is given. It is applied to the space of local functionals equipped with a Poisson bracket, induced by a bracket for local functions along the lines suggested by Gel'fand, Dickey and Dorfman. In this way, higher order maps are constructed which combine to form an sh Lie algebra on the graded differential algebra of horizontal forms. The same construction applies for graded brackets in field theory such as the Batalin-Fradkin-Vilkovisky bracket of the Hamiltonian BRST theory or the Batalin-Vilkovisky antib…
I establish the relation of the non-commutative BV-formalism with super-invariant matrix integration. In particular, the non-commutative BV-equation, defining the quantum A-infinity-algebras, introduced in "Modular operads and Batalin-Vilkovisky geometry" IMRN, Vol. 2007, doi: 10.1093/imrn/rnm075, is represented via de Rham differential acting on the matrix spaces related with Bernstein-Leites simple associative algebras with odd trace q(N), and with gl(N|N). I also show that the Lagrangians of the matrix integrals from "Noncommmutative Batalin-Vilkovisky geometry and Matrix integrals", Compte…
We construct a differential Gerstenhaber-Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra from Dolbeault complex of any close Kaehler manifold, and a Frobenius manifold structure on Dolbeault cohomology.
