We study global and local geometry of forms on odd symplectic BV supermanifolds, constructed from the total space of the bundle of 1-forms on a base supermanifold. We show that globally 1-forms are an extension of vector bundles defined on the base supermanifold. In the holomorphic category, we prove that this extension is split if and only if the super Atiyah class of the base supermanifold vanishes. This is equivalent to the existence of a holomorphic superconnection: we show how this condition is related to the characteristic non-split geometry of complex supermanifolds. From a local point of view, we prove that the deformed de Rham double complex naturally arises as a de-quantization of the de Rham/Spencer double complex of the base supermanifold. Following Ševera, we show that the associated spectral sequence yields semidensities on the BV supermanifold, together with their differential in the form of a super BV Laplacian.
In this article we present a self-contained account of two important results in complex supergeometry: (1) Koszul's Splitting theorem and (2) Donagi and Witten's decomposition of the super Atiyah class. These results are related in the same sense that global holomorphic connections on a holomorphic vector bundle are `related' to the Atiyah class of that vector bundle---the latter being the obstruction to the existence of the former. In complex supergeometry: Koszul's theorem pertains to the existence of supermanifold splittings whereas the super Atiyah class accordingly pertains to obstruction…
The first obstruction to splitting a supermanifold S is one of the three components of its super Atiyah class, the two other components being the ordinary Atiyah classes on the reduced space M of the even and odd tangent bundles of S. We evaluate these classes explicitly for the moduli space of super Riemann surfaces ("super moduli space") and its reduced space, the moduli space of spin curves. These classes are interpreted in terms of certain extensions arising from line bundles on the square of the varying (super) Riemann surface. These results are used to give a new proof of the non-project…
In this article we present a study of embeddings of complex supermanifolds. We are broadly guided by the question: when will a submanifold of a split supermanifold itself be split? As an application of our study, we will address this question for certain superspace embeddings over rational normal curves.
In this note we define Chern-Simons classes of a superconnection $D+L$ on a complex supervector bundle $E$ such that $D$ is flat and preserves the grading, and $L$ is an odd endomorphism of $E$ on a supermanifold. As an application we obtain a definition of Chern-Simons classes of a (not necessarily flat) morphism between flat vector bundles on a smooth manifold. We extend Reznikov's theorem on triviality of these classes when the manifold is a compact Kähler manifold or a smooth complex quasi--projective variety, in degrees > 1.
In this paper we give a brief account of the relations between non-projected supermanifolds and projectivity in supergeometry. Following the general results of arXiv:1706.01354, we study an explicit example of non-projected and non-projective supermanifold over the projective plane and we show how to embed it into a super Grassmannian. The geometry of super Grassmannians is also reviewed in details.
On a group $G$, a filtration by normal subgroups is referred to as a normal series. If subsequent quotients are abelian, the filtration is referred to as an \emph{abelian-quotient normal series}, or `AQ normal series' for short. In this article we consider `sheaves of AQ normal series'. From a given AQ normal series satisfying an additional hypothesis we derive a complex whose first cohomology obstructs the resolution of an `integration problem'. These constructs are then applied to the classification of supermanifolds modelled on $(X, T^*_{X, -})$, where $X$ is a complex manifold and $T^*_{X,…
We use the techniques of integral forms to analyse the easiest example of two dimensional sigma models on a supermanifold. We write the action as an integral of a top integral form over a D=2 supermanifold and we show how to interpolate between different superspace actions. Then, we consider curved supermanifolds and we show that the definitions used for flat supermanifold can also be used for curved supermanifolds. We prove it by first considering the case of a curved rigid supermanifold and then the case of a generic curved supermanifold described by a single superfield $E$.
By virtue of the well-known theorem, a structure Lie group K of a principal bundle $P$ is reducible to its closed subgroup H iff there exists a global section of the quotient bundle P/K. In gauge theory, such sections are treated as Higgs fields, exemplified by pseudo-Riemannian metrics on a base manifold of P. Under some conditions, this theorem is extended to principal superbundles in the category of G-supermanifolds. Given a G-supermanifold M and a graded frame superbundle over M with a structure general linear supergroup, a reduction of this structure supergroup to an orthgonal-symplectic …
We give a natural definition of geodesics on a Riemannian supermanifold and extend the usual geodesic flow defined on the cotangent bundle of the body of the supermanifold, associated to the induced Riemannian structure on the body, to a geodesic "superflow" on the cotangent bundle of the supermanifold. Integral curves of this flow turn out to be in natural bijection with geodesics on the Riemannian supermanifold. We also construct the corresponding exponential map and generalize the well-known faithful linearization of isometries to Riemannian supermanifolds.
Associated to any supermanifold is a filtration by spaces, referred to as thickenings. It is the objective of this article to study them up to a certain equivalence and then up to isomorphism in the complex-analytic setting. We study them from two points of view: (1) as structures embedded in supermanifolds and (2) abstractly. Throughout, we will be guided by the goal to clarify and address the question: when does a given thickening embed in a supermanifold? Such a question was, in essence, first studied by Eastwood and LeBrun. In this article we begin with a pedagogical account of their study…
We study the local functor of points (which we call the Weil-Berezin functor) for smooth supermanifolds, providing a characterization, representability theorems and applications to differential calculus.
In his recent investigation of a super Teichmüller space, Sachse (2007), based on work of Molotkov (1984), has proposed a theory of Banach supermanifolds using the `functor of points' approach of Bernstein and Schwarz. We prove that the the category of Berezin-Kostant-Leites supermanifolds is equivalent to the category of finite-dimensional Molotkov-Sachse supermanifolds. Simultaneously, using the differential calculus of Bertram-Glöckner-Neeb (2004), we extend Molotkov-Sachse's approach to supermanifolds modeled on Hausdorff topological super-vector spaces over an arbitrary non-discrete Hausd…
We give an algebraic characterisation for the triviality of the canonical bundle of a complex supermanifold in terms of a certain Batalin-Vilkovisky superalgebra structure. As an application, we study the Calabi-Yau case, in which an explicit formula in terms of the Levi-Civita connection is achieved. Our methods include the use of complex integral forms and the recently developed theory of superholonomy.
The universal Spencer and de Rham complexes of sheaves over a smooth or analytical manifold are well known to play a basic role in the theory of $\mathcal{D}$-modules. In this article we consider a double complex of sheaves generalizing both complexes for an arbitrary supermanifold, and we use it to unify the notions of differential and integral forms on real, complex and algebraic supermanifolds. The associated spectral sequences give the de Rham complex of differential forms and the complex of integral forms at page one. For real and complex supermanifolds both spectral sequences converge at…
Given a supervector bundle $E = E_0\oplus E_1 \to M$, we exhibit a parametrization of Quillen superconnections on $E$ by graded connections on the Cartan-Koszul supermanifold $(M;Ω(M))$. The relation between the curvatures of both kind of connections, and their associated Chern classes, is discussed in detail. In particular, we find that Chern classes for graded vector bundles on split supermanifolds can be computed through the associated Quillen superconnections.
We propose the extension of some structural aspects that have successfully been applied in the development of the theory of quantum fields propagating on a general spacetime manifold so as to include superfield models on a supermanifold. We only deal with the limited class of supermanifolds which admit the existence of a smooth body manifold structure. Our considerations are based on the Catenacci-Reina-Teofillatto-Bryant approach to supermanifolds. In particular, we show that the class of supermanifolds constructed by Bonora-Pasti-Tonin satisfies the criterions which guarantee that a superman…
Inspired by the analogy between different types of differential forms on supermanifolds and string fields in superstring theory, we construct new multilinear non-associative products of forms which yield an $A_\infty$-algebra.
We construct the Hodge dual for supermanifolds by means of the Grassmannian Fourier transform of superforms. In the case of supermanifolds it is known that the superforms are not sufficient to construct a consistent integration theory and that the integral forms are needed. They are distribution-like forms which can be integrated on supermanifolds as a top form can be integrated on a conventional manifold. In our construction of the Hodge dual of superforms they arise naturally. The compatibility between Hodge duality and supersymmetry is exploited and applied to several examples. We define th…
In this paper we develop the foundations for microlocal analysis on supermanifolds. Making use of pseudodifferential operators on supermanifolds as introduced by Rempel and Schmitt, we define a suitable notion of super wavefront set for superdistributions which generalizes Dencker's polarization sets for vector-valued distributions to supergeometry. In particular, our super wavefront sets detect polarization information of the singularities of superdistributions. We prove a refined pullback theorem for superdistributions along supermanifold morphisms, which as a special case establishes criter…
We extend the notion of a Thomas projective connection (a projective equivalence class of linear connections) for supermanifolds. As a by-product, we arrive at a generalisation of the multidimensional Schwarzian derivative for the super case which was previously unknown. This is combined with our previous construction of a Laplacian on the algebra of densities for a projectively connected manifold and allows us to study Batalin-Vilkovisky type operators and the relation between projective connections and odd Poisson structures.
Parity is ubiquitous, but not always identified as a simplifying tool for computations. Using parity, having in mind the example of the bosonic/fermionic Fock space, and the framework of Z_2-graded (super) algebra, we clarify relationships between the different definitions of supermanifolds proposed by various people. In addition, we work with four complexes allowing an invariant definition of divergence: - an ascending complex of forms, and a descending complex of densities on real variables - an ascending complex of forms, and descending complex of densities on Grass mann variables. This stu…
We study the functor of points and the local functor of points (here called the Weil--Berezin functor) for smooth and holomorphic supermanifolds, providing characterization theorems and fully discussing the representability issues. In the end we examine applications to differential calculus including the transitivity theorems.
We generalize the Donagi and Witten construction of a first obstruction class for splitting of a supermanifold via differential operators using the theory of $n$-fold vector bundles and graded manifolds. Applying the generalized Donagi--Witten construction we obtain a family of embeddings of the category of supermanifolds into the category of $n$-fold vector bundles and into the category of graded manifolds. This leads to a realization of any non-split supermanifold in terms of a collection of vector bundles and some morphism between them. Further we study the images of these embeddings into t…
The main result of this paper is the computation of the Lie superalgebras of holomorphic vector fields on the complex $Π$-symmetric flag supermanifolds, introduced by Yu.I.~Manin. We prove that with one exception any vector field is fundamental with respect to the natural action of the Lie superalgebra $\mathfrak q_n(\mathbb C)$.
We present few types of integral transforms and integral representations that are very useful for extending to supergeometry many familiar concepts of differential geometry. Among them we discuss the construction of the super Hodge dual, the integral representation of picture changing operators of string theories and the construction of the super-Liouville form of a symplectic supermanifold.
We show that thick morphisms (or microformal morphisms) between smooth (super)manifolds, introduced by us before, are classical limits of `quantum thick morphisms' defined here as particular oscillatory integral operators on functions.
We discuss the cohomology of superforms and integral forms from a new perspective based on a recently proposed Hodge dual operator. We show how the superspace constraints (a.k.a. rheonomic parametrisation) are translated from the space of superforms $Ω^{(p|0)}$ to the space of integral forms $Ω^{(p|m)}$ where $0 \leq p \leq n$, $n$ is the bosonic dimension of the supermanifold and $m$ its fermionic dimension. We dwell on the relation between supermanifolds with non-trivial curvature and Ramond-Ramond fields, for which the Laplace-Beltrami differential, constructed with our Hodge dual, is an es…
Inspired by superstring field theory, we study differential, integral, and inverse forms and their mutual relations on a supermanifold from a sheaf-theoretical point of view. In particular, the formal distributional properties of integral forms are recovered in this scenario in a geometrical way. Further, we show how inverse forms extend the ordinary de Rham complex on a supermanifold, thus providing a mathematical foundation of the Large Hilbert Space used in superstrings. Last, we briefly discuss how the Hodge diamond of a supermanifold looks like, and we explicitly compute it for super Riem…
The classical Wilson loop is the gauge-invariant trace of the parallel transport around a closed path with respect to a connection on a vector bundle over a smooth manifold. We build a precise mathematical model of the super Wilson loop, an extension introduced by Mason-Skinner and Caron-Huot, by endowing the objects occurring with auxiliary Graßmann generators coming from S-points. A key feature of our model is a supergeometric parallel transport, which allows for a natural notion of holonomy on a supermanifold as a Lie group valued functor. Our main results for that theory comprise an Ambros…
By generalizing and extending some of the earlier results derived by Manin and Merkulov, a twistor description is given of four-dimensional N-extended (gauged) self-dual supergravity with and without cosmological constant. Starting from the category of (4|4N)-dimensional complex superconformal supermanifolds, the categories of (4|2N)-dimensional complex quaternionic, quaternionic Kaehler and hyper-Kaehler right-chiral supermanifolds are introduced and discussed. We then present a detailed twistor description of these types of supermanifolds. In particular, we construct supertwistor spaces asso…
The complex of "stable forms" on supermanifolds is studied. Stable forms on $M$ are represented by certain Lagrangians of "copaths" (formal systems of equations, which may or may not specify actual surfaces) on $M\times\mathbb R^D$. Changes of $D$ give rise to stability isomorphisms. The Cartan--de Rham complex made of stable forms extends both in positive and negative degree and its positive half is isomorphic to the complex of forms defined as Lagrangians of paths. Considering the negative half is necessary, in particular, for homotopy invariance. We introduce analogs of exterior multiplicat…
We study two-dimensional nonlinear sigma models with target spaces being the complex super Grassmannian manifolds, that is, coset supermanifolds $G(m,p|n,q)\cong U(m|n)/[U(p|q)\otimes U(m-p|n-q)]$ for $0\leq p \leq m$, $0\leq q \leq n$ and $1\leq p+q$. The projective superspace ${\bf CP}^{m-1|n}$ is a special case of $p=1$, $q=0$. For the two-dimensional Euclidean base space, a wide class of exact classical solutions (or harmonic maps) are constructed explicitly and elementarily in terms of Gramm-Schmidt orthonormalisation procedure starting from holomorphic bosonic and fermionic supervector i…
Let M_0=G_0/H be a (pseudo)-Riemannian homogeneous spin manifold, with reductive decomposition g_0=h+m and let S(M_0) be the spin bundle defined by the spin representation Ad:H->\GL_R(S) of the stabilizer H. This article studies the superizations of M_0, i.e. its extensions to a homogeneous supermanifold M=G/H whose sheaf of superfunctions is isomorphic to Lambda(S^*(M_0)). Here G is the Lie supergroup associated with a certain extension of the Lie algebra of symmetry g_0 to an algebra of supersymmetry g=g_0+g_1=g_0+S via the Kostant-Koszul construction. Each algebra of supersymmetry naturally…
The presentation of supergravity theories of our previous paper "Super-Poincare' algebras, space-times and supergravities (I)" is re-formulated in the language of Berezin-Leites-Kostant theory of supermanifolds. It is also shown that the equations of Cremmer, Julia and Scherk's theory of 11D-supergravity are equivalent to manifestly covariant equations on a supermanifold.
The aim of this paper is to present a short introduction to supergeometry on pure odd supermanifolds. (Pseudo)differential forms, Cartan calculus (DeRham differential, Lie derivative, "inner" product), metric, inner product, Killing's vector fields, Hodge star operator, integral forms, co-differential and connection on odd Riemannian supermanifolds are introduced. The electrodynamics and Einstein relativity with anti-commuting variables only are formulated modifying the geometry beyond classical (even, bosonic) theories appropriately. Extension of these ideas to general supermanifolds is strai…
This is a companion paper of a long work appeared in [1] discussing the super-Chern-Simons theory on supermanifolds. Here, it is emphasized that the BV formalism is naturally formulated using integral forms for any supersymmetric and supergravity models and we show how to deal with $A_\infty$-algebras emerging from supermanifold structures.
