Integrating morphisms of Lie 2-algebras

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 construction of connected covers of Lie 2-groups. We also discuss the notion of homotopy fiber of a morphism of 2-term L_infty algebras.Comment: discussion of connected covers of Lie 2-groups expanded, 26 page

Omni-Lie 2-algebras and their Dirac structures

We introduce the notion of omni-Lie 2-algebra, which is a categorification of Weinstein's omni-Lie algebras. We prove that there is a one-to-one correspondence between strict Lie 2-algebra structures on 2-sub-vector spaces of a 2-vector space \V and Dirac structures on the omni-Lie 2-algebra \gl(\V)\oplus \V . In particular, strict Lie 2-algebra structures on \V itself one-to-one correspond to Dirac structures of the form of graphs. Finally, we introduce the notion of twisted omni-Lie 2-algebra to describe (non-strict) Lie 2-algebra structures. Dirac structures of a twisted omni-Lie 2-algebra correspond to certain (non-strict) Lie 2-algebra structures, which include string Lie 2-algebra structures.Comment: 23 page

Twisted Courant algebroids and coisotropic Cartan geometries

In this paper, we show that associated to any coisotropic Cartan geometry there is a twisted Courant algebroid. This includes in particular parabolic geometries. Using this twisted Courant structure, we give some new results about the Cartan curvature and the Weyl structure of a parabolic geometry. As more direct applications, we have Lie 2-algebra and 3D AKSZ sigma model with background associated to any coisotropic Cartan geometry

AKSZ-BV Formalism and Courant Algebroid-induced Topological Field Theories

We give a detailed exposition of the Alexandrov-Kontsevich-Schwarz- Zaboronsky superfield formalism using the language of graded manifolds. As a main illustarting example, to every Courant algebroid structure we associate canonically a three-dimensional topological sigma-model. Using the AKSZ formalism, we construct the Batalin-Vilkovisky master action for the model.Comment: 13 pages, based on lectures at Rencontres mathematiques de Glanon 200

Integration of twisted Poisson structures

Poisson manifolds may be regarded as the infinitesimal form of symplectic groupoids. Twisted Poisson manifolds considered by Severa and Weinstein [math.SG/0107133] are a natural generalization of the former which also arises in string theory. In this note it is proved that twisted Poisson manifolds are in bijection with a (possibly singular) twisted version of symplectic groupoids.Comment: 12 pages; minor corrections (especially in terminology: "twisted symplectic" replaces "quasi-symplectic"), references updated; to appear in J. Geom. Phy