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Perhaps Lie theory is not the correct term, but I'm thinking of the intermediate result in the Lie groupoid to Lie algebroid correspondence. Given a Lie groupoid $G$ over $M$, we may construct the Lie algebroid of $G$ by taking the pullback of the cospan $$ M \xrightarrow{(e,0)} G \times TM \xleftarrow{(p, Ts)} TG$$ Now, if $G$ were just a reflexive, involutive graph rather than a groupoid, we would still get a vector bundle over $M$ from this pullback, with an anchor $\varrho := A \hookrightarrow TG \xrightarrow{Tt} TM$.

Has anyone written down the analogue of "Lie integration" for this setting? If I move to synthetic differential geometry there's a way through using enriched sketches, but I'd like to see something a little more down to earth.

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Given a vector bundle $E\to M$ equipped with an anchor map $\rho:E\to TM$, choose a connection $\nabla$ on $E$ and consider the ODE \begin{align*} \dot\gamma(t) &= \rho(v(t))\\ (\gamma^*\nabla)_t v(t) &= 0 \end{align*} for $\gamma:I\to M$ a path in $M$ and $v\in\Gamma(\gamma^*E)$ a section of the pulled back vector bundle. Standard results imply that for $(x_0,v_0)\in E$, there is an open interval $I(x,v)$ containing $0$ such that there is a unique solution $(x,v)$ of this ODE on $I$ with $(x(0),v(0)) = (x_0,v_0)$ and that $I(x,v)$ is maximal with respect to this property.

Let $U\subset E$ be the (open) subset of elements such that $1\in I(x,v)$, and note that it contains the zero section since constant paths with $v\equiv 0$ define a global solution of the ODE; then we have an obvious bijection between $U$ and germs of solutions $(x(t),v(t))$ of the ODE on $[0,1]$. In particular, the involution $(x(t),v(t))\mapsto (x(1-t),-v(1-t))$ on the latter space gives rise to an involution $\Phi:U\cong U$ fixing the zero section, and standard results show that it is smooth (it is essentially given by sending an element $(x,v)$ to the time $1$ value of the ``flow'' generated by it).

We obtain a reflexive, involutive graph by setting

  • $G = U$
  • $s = p:G\to M$ the bundle projection
  • $t = p\circ \Phi:G\to M$
  • $e:M\to G$ the inclusion of the zero section
  • Lastly, the involution is given by $i = \Phi:U\cong U$.

It is straightforward, if tedious, to verify that applying your construction to this data gives back $E\xrightarrow{\pm \rho}M$ (the sign depends on some conventions and can be absorbed into the definition of the ODE).

This construction is essentially given by integrating the $L_\infty$-algebroid generated by $E\xrightarrow{\rho}M$ to an $L_\infty$-groupoid $\Delta^{op}\to \operatorname{Man}$ and restricting to $\Delta_{\le 1}^{op}$.

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  • $\begingroup$ Thanks, this looks great. I have two questions: 1. Is this construction basically going Anchored bundle with connection $\to$ free $L_\infty$-algebroid $\to$ free $\infty$-groupoid $\to$ the truncation? 2. Is there a reference you can point me to - I am familiar with the A-paths construction from Crainic and Fernandes's notes, but this seems a bit more general. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 13, 2020 at 18:09
  • $\begingroup$ Integration of $L_\infty$-algebras is done by solving a Maurer-Cartan equation - compare arxiv.org/abs/2010.10485 . For $L_\infty$-algebroids, one has to include smooth simplices, as in the $A$-paths you mentioned. In the absence of a bracket, the only thing you can write down is this ODE; in general, you can define "L_\infty algebroids up to order $n$" by asking that the CE-differential squares to something in form degree $>n$, and make sense of the integration up to simplicial degree $n$. This should be a cofree construction, i.e. maps into it have a universal property. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 14, 2020 at 0:29

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