Adiabatically eliminating the quantum degrees of freedom in a mixed quantum-classical system produces an effective force in the classical equation of motion. The elimination can be made to any order in the adiabatic parameter, generating a series of higher order forces. By applying a sequence of near-identity unitary transformations to the quantum state, we derive a hierarchy of increasingly accurate effective actions for the classical variables. The third order Euler-Lagrange equation is non-Newtonian as the force depends on the jerk, the third order time derivative of position. We find that the third order terms induce a special kind of Kawaguchi geometry on the space of classical variables. This geometry is characterized by an almost symplectic structure and a differential line element that depends on the acceleration in addition to the velocity. Our results can be used to efficiently capture higher order nonadiabatic effects in molecular dynamics simulations.

We revisit and construct new examples of supersymmetric 2D topological sigma models whose target space is a Poisson supermanifold. Inspired by the AKSZ construction of topological field theories, we follow a graded-geometric approach and identify two commuting homological vector fields compatible with the graded symplectic structure, which control the gauge symmetries and the supersymmetries of the sigma models. Exemplifying the general structure, we show that two distinguished cases exist, one being the differential Poisson sigma model constructed before by Arias, Boulanger, Sundell and Torres-Gomez and the other a contravariant differential Poisson sigma model. The new model features nonlinear supersymmetry transformations that are generated by the Poisson structure on the body of the target supermanifold, giving rise to a Poisson supersymmetry. Further examples are characterised by supersymmetry transformations controlled by the anchor map of a Lie algebroid, when this map is invertible, in which case we determine the geometric conditions for invariance under supersymmetry and closure of the supersymmetry algebra. Moreover, we show that the common thread through this type of models is that their supersymmetry-generating vector field is the coadjoint representation up to homotopy of a Lie algebroid.

We perform a systematic construction of supersymmetric Poisson sigma-models with an additional global supersymmetry in the geometric approach of Poisson Q-supermanifolds. Our analysis unifies Jackiw-Teitelboim supergravity and differential Poisson sigma-models exhibiting de Rham supersymmetry and reveals the existence of new models in the same family, such as a model with Lichnerowicz–Poisson supersymmetry, one based on a symmetric bilinear form and a class of models with super-Poisson structure of inhomogeneous degree. We emphasize the relation of the coadjoint representation of Lie algebroids to the global supersymmetry of these sigma-models.

We investigate the concept of tensor global symmetries, featuring conserved currents of mixed symmetry and higher spin Nambu-Goldstone bosons. We develop a Stueckelberg mechanism for mixed symmetry tensor fields at the linearized level, focusing on the massive graviton, the massive (2,1) Curtright field and the massive (2,2) field. Counting degrees of freedom, we identify the set of fields that necessarily appear in the gauge invariant Stueckelberg action in each case. These fields transform under shift symmetries and they are a vector and a scalar in the first case, a graviton, a Kalb-Ramond field and a vector in the second case and a Curtright field and a graviton in the third case. The analysis results in gauge invariant and fully conserved currents of mixed symmetry for the corresponding gauge theories, which are linked to their tensor global symmetries and they can be minimally coupled to suitable background fields. Viewing the graviton and the Kalb-Ramond field as Nambu-Goldstone bosons for constant symmetric and antisymmetric shift symmetries, we use a nonminimal coupling to uncover a 't Hooft anomaly in linearized gravity.

Abstract We draw a parallel between the BV/BRST formalism for higher-dimensional (≥ 2) Hamiltonian mechanics and higher notions of torsion and basic curvature tensors for generalized connections in specific Lie n-algebroids based on homotopy Poisson structures. The gauge systems we consider include Poisson sigma models in any dimension and “generalised R-flux” deformations thereof, such as models with an (n + 2)-form-twisted R-Poisson target space. Their BV/BRST action includes interaction terms among the fields, ghosts and antifields whose coefficients acquire a geometric meaning by considering twisted Koszul multibrackets that endow the target space with a structure that we call a gapped almost Lie n-algebroid. Studying covariant derivatives along n-forms, we define suitable polytorsion and basic polycurvature tensors and identify them with the interaction coefficients in the gauge theory, thus relating models for topological n-branes to differential geometry on Lie n-algebroids.

We study twisted Courant sigma models, a class of topological field theories arising from the coupling of 3D 0-/2-form BF theory and Chern-Simons theory and containing a 4-form Wess-Zumino term. They are examples of theories featuring a nonlinearly open gauge algebra, where products of field equations appear in the commutator of gauge transformations, and they are reducible gauge systems. We determine the solution to the master equation using a technique, the BRST power finesse, that combines aspects of the AKSZ construction (which applies to the untwisted model) and the general BV-BRST formalism. This allows for a geometric interpretation of the BV coefficients in the interaction terms of the master action in terms of an induced generalised connection on a 4-form twisted (pre-)Courant algebroid, its Gualtieri torsion and the basic curvature tensor. It also produces a frame independent formulation of the model. We show, moreover, that the gauge fixed action is the sum of the classical one and a BRST commutator, as expected from a Schwarz type topological field theory.

We study connections on higher structures such as Lie and Courant algebroids and their description as differential graded manifolds and explore the role of their basic curvature tensor and of the Atiyah cocycle in topological sigma models and higher gauge theories. The basic curvature of a connection on a Lie algebroid is a measure for the compatibility of the connection with the Lie bracket and it appears in the BV operator of topological sigma models in 2D. Here we define a basic curvature tensor for connections on Courant algebroids and we show that in the description of a Courant algebroid as a QP manifold it appears naturally as part of the homological vector field together with the Gualtieri torsion of a generalised connection. The Atiyah cocycle of a connection on a differential graded manifold is a measure of the compatibility of the connection with the homological vector field. We argue that in the graded-geometric description of higher gauge theories, the structure of gauge transformations is governed by a Kapranov L$_{\infty}[1]$ algebra, whose binary bracket is given by the Atiyah cocycle. We also revisit some aspects of derived structures and we uncover the role of the Atiyah cocycle in deriving $E$-tensors for $E$-connections on Lie and Courant algebroids from ordinary tensors on differential graded manifolds.

Generalisations of geometry have emerged in various forms in the study of field theory and quantization. This mini-review focuses on the role of higher geometry in three selected physical applications. After motivating and describing some basic aspects of algebroid structures on bundles and (differential graded) Q-manifolds, we briefly discuss their relation to (α ) the Batalin–Vilkovisky quantization of topological sigma models, (β ) higher gauge theories and generalized global symmetries and (γ ) tensor gauge theories, where the universality of their form and properties in terms of graded geometry is highlighted.

We present the construction of the classical Batalin–Vilkovisky (BV) action for topological Dirac sigma models. The latter are two-dimensional topological field theories that simultaneously generalise the completely gauged Wess–Zumino–Novikov–Witten model and the Poisson sigma model. Their underlying structure is that of Dirac manifolds associated to maximal isotropic and integrable subbundles of an exact Courant algebroid twisted by a 3-form. In contrast to the Poisson sigma model, the AKSZ construction is not applicable for the general Dirac sigma model. We therefore follow a direct approach for determining a suitable BV extension of the classical action functional with ghosts and antifields satisfying the classical master equation. Special attention is paid to target space covariance, which requires the introduction of two connections with torsion on the Dirac structure.

We investigate physical implications of a gravitational analog of axion electrodynamics with a parity-violating gravitoelectromagnetic theta term. This is related to the Nieh-Yan topological invariant in gravity with torsion, in contrast to the well-studied gravitational Chern-Simons term quadratic in curvature, coupled via a dynamical axionlike scalar field. Axion gravitodynamics is the corresponding linearized theory. We find that potentially observable effects are over 80 orders of magnitude stronger than for its Chern-Simons counterpart and could be in reach for detection by experiments in the near future. For a near-Earth scenario, we derive corrections to the Lense-Thirring effect and compare them to data from satellite-based experiments (Gravity Probe B). For gravitational waves, we find modified dispersion relations, derive the corresponding polarization-dependent modified group and phase velocities, and compare them to data from neutron star mergers (GW170817) to derive even stronger bounds.

The AKSZ construction was developed as a geometrical formalism to find the solution to the classical master equation in the BV quantization of topological branes based on the concept of QP manifolds. However, the formalism does not apply in presence of Wess-Zumino terms, as demonstrated recently by Ikeda and Strobl in the simplest example of WZW-Poisson sigma models. In this contribution, we review a class of topological field theories in arbitrary dimensions, the twisted R-Poisson sigma models, which suitably generalize Poisson or twisted Poisson sigma models. Their relation to differential graded manifolds and higher geometry is discussed and we sketch how to identify the solution to the classical master equation even though the target space does not have a QP structure.

We determine the solution to the classical master equation for a 3D topological field theory with Wess-Zumino term and an underlying geometrical structure of a twisted R-Poisson manifold on its target space. The graded geometry of the target space departs from the usual QP structure encountered in the AKSZ construction of topological sigma models, the obstruction being attributed to the presence of the Wess-Zumino 4-form. Due to the inapplicability of the AKSZ construction in this case, we set up the traditional BV/BRST formalism for twisted R-Poisson sigma models in any dimension, which feature an open gauge algebra and constitute multiple stages reducible constrained Hamiltonian systems. An unusual feature of the theories is that it exhibits non-linear openness of the gauge algebra, in other words products of the equations of motion appear in it. Nevertheless, we find the BV action in presence of the 4-form twist in 3D, namely for a specific 4-form twisted (pre-)Courant sigma model. Moreover, we provide a complete set of explicit formulas for the off-shell nilpotent BV operator for untwisted R-Poisson sigma models in any dimension.

We revisit universal features of duality in linear and nonlinear relativistic scalar and Abelian 1-form theories with single or multiple fields, which exhibit ordinary or generalized global symmetries. We show that such global symmetries can be interpreted as generalized Killing isometries on a suitable, possibly graded, target space of fields or its jet space when the theory contains higher derivatives. This is realized via a generalized sigma model perspective motivated from the fact that higher spin particles can be Nambu–Goldstone bosons of spontaneously broken generalized global symmetries. We work out in detail the 2D examples of a compact scalar and the massless Heisenberg pion fireball model and the 4D examples of Maxwell, Born–Infeld, and ModMax electrodynamics. In all cases we identify the ’t Hooft anomaly that obstructs the simultaneous gauging of both global symmetries and confirm the anomaly matching under duality. These results readily generalize to higher gauge theories for p-forms. For multifield theories, we discuss the transformation of couplings under duality as two sets of Buscher rules for even or odd differential forms.

Double field theory promotes the T-duality of closed string theory to a manifest symmetry, thus leading to a new perspective on the geometry experienced by stringy probes. In this contribution, we discuss the mathematical structure underlying the symmetries of double field theory, thus defining a DFT algebroid. We trace its origins in a large Courant algebroid defined over a doubled geometry, and show that after imposing a section condition the DFT algebroid reduces to a canonical Courant algebroid, as expected in generalized geometry.

We perform an in‐depth analysis of the transformation rules under duality for couplings of theories containing multiple scalars, p ‐form gauge fields, linearized gravitons or ( p , 1) mixed symmetry tensors. Following a similar reasoning to the derivation of the Buscher rules for string background fields under T‐duality, we show that the couplings for all classes of aforementioned multi‐field theories transform according to one of two sets of duality rules. These sets comprise the ordinary Buscher rules and their higher counterpart; this is a generic feature of multi‐field theories in spacetime dimensions where the field strength and its dual are of the same degree. Our analysis takes into account topological theta terms and generalized B ‐fields, whose behavior under duality is carefully tracked. For a 1‐form or a graviton in 4D, this reduces to the inversion of the complexified coupling or generalized metric under electric/magnetic duality. Moreover, we write down an action for linearized gravity in the presence of θ‐term from which we obtain previously suggested on‐shell duality and double duality relations. This also provides an explanation for the origin of theta in the gravitational duality relations as a specific additional sector of the linearized gravity action.

Abstract We construct a class of topological field theories with Wess-Zumino term in spacetime dimensions ≥ 2 whose target space has a geometrical structure that suitably generalizes Poisson or twisted Poisson manifolds. Assuming a field content comprising a set of scalar fields accompanied by gauge fields of degree (1, p − 1, p) we determine a generic Wess-Zumino topological field theory in p + 1 dimensions with background data consisting of a Poisson 2-vector, a (p + 1)-vector R and a (p + 2)-form H satisfying a specific geometrical condition that defines a H-twisted R-Poisson structure of order p + 1. For this class of theories we demonstrate how a target space covariant formulation can be found by means of an auxiliary connection without torsion. Furthermore, we study admissible deformations of the generic class in special spacetime dimensions and find that they exist in dimensions 2, 3 and 4. The two-dimensional deformed field theory includes the twisted Poisson sigma model, whereas in three dimensions we find a more general structure that we call bi-twisted R-Poisson. This extends the twisted R-Poisson structure of order 3 by a non-closed 3-form and gives rise to a topological field theory whose covariant formulation requires a connection with torsion and includes a twisted Poisson sigma model in three dimensions as a special case. The relation of the corresponding structures to differential graded Q-manifolds based on the degree shifted cotangent bundle T*[p]T*[1]M is discussed, as well as the obstruction to them being QP-manifolds due to the Wess-Zumino term.

Gauge theories can often be formulated in different but physically equivalent ways, a concept referred to as duality. Using a formalism based on graded geometry, we provide a unified treatment of all parent theories for different types of standard and exotic dualizations. Our approach is based on treating tensor fields as functions of a certain degree on graded supermanifolds equipped with a suitable number of odd coordinates. We present a universal two-parameter first order action for standard and exotic electric/magnetic dualizations and prove in full generality that it yields two dual second order theories with the desired field content and dynamics. Upon choice of parameters, the parent theory reproduces (i) the standard and exotic duals for p-forms and (ii) the standard and double duals for (p, 1) bipartite tensor fields, such as the linearized graviton and the Curtright field. Moreover, we discuss how deformations related to codimension-1 branes are included in the parent theory.

We review the construction of Lagrangians for higher spin fields of mixed symmetry in the framework of graded geometry. The main advantage of the graded formalism in this context is that it provides universal expressions, in the sense that a given Lagrangian describes the dynamics of any type of bosonic tensor field even though the corresponding explicit expressions in terms of local field components and their derivatives look rather different. Aside from free fields and their kinetic terms, we also consider higher derivative interaction terms that lead to second order field equations. For scalars, differential forms and bipartite tensors, these are identified with Galileon theories, written in a simple yet elegant form as a generalised kinetic term, and are gauge invariant by construction. For fields of spin higher than 2, we illustrate the candidate Galileon-like interactions and argue that full gauge invariance and locality cannot be simultaneously maintained.

We study aspects of two-dimensional nonlinear sigma models with Wess-Zumino term corresponding to a nonclosed 3-form, which may arise upon dimensional reduction in the target space. Our goal in this paper is twofold. In a first part, we investigate the conditions for consistent gauging of sigma models in the presence of a nonclosed 3-form. In the Abelian case, we find that the target of the gauged theory has the structure of a contact Courant algebroid, twisted by a 3-form and two 2-forms. Gauge invariance constrains the theory to (small) Dirac structures of the contact Courant algebroid. In the non-Abelian case, we draw a similar parallel between the gauged sigma model and certain transitive Courant algebroids and their corresponding Dirac structures. In the second part of the paper, we study two-dimensional sigma models related to Jacobi structures. The latter generalise Poisson and contact geometry in the presence of an additional vector field. We demonstrate that one can construct a sigma model whose gauge symmetry is controlled by a Jacobi structure, and moreover we twist the model by a 3-form. This construction is then the analogue of WZW-Poisson structures for Jacobi manifolds.

We review some fundamental aspects of mixed symmetry tensor gauge theories using a formulation based on graded geometry. In particular, we are able to construct kinetic, mass and Galileon-type higher derivative interaction terms for such fields. The resulting elegant geometric formulas allow for shared features of these theories to be highlighted and for possible interaction terms to be classified. In addition, we argue that this formalism is very useful in studying dualities. In particular, we construct a universal first order Lagrangian that may serve as the starting point for the off shell dualizations of differential form gauge theories and generalized gravitons.