Y-algebroids and E7(7)× ℝ+-generalised geometry

Abstract

We define the notion of Y-algebroids, generalising the Lie, Courant, and exceptional algebroids that have been used to capture the local symmetry structure of type II string theory and M-theory compactifications to D ≥ 5 dimensions. Instead of an invariant inner product, or its generalisation arising in exceptional algebroids, Y-algebroids are built around a specific type of tensor, denoted Y , that provides exactly the necessary properties to also describe compactifications to D = 4 dimensions. We classify “M-exact” E7-algebroids and show that this precisely matches the form of the generalised tangent space of E7(7) × ℝ+-generalised geometry, with possible twists due to 1-, 4- and 7-form fluxes, corresponding physically to the derivative of the warp factor and the M-theory fluxes. We translate the notion of generalised Leibniz parallelisable spaces, relevant to consistent truncations, into this language, where they are mapped to so-called exceptional Manin pairs. We also show how to understand Poisson-Lie U-duality and exceptional complex structures using Y-algebroids.