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arXiv · 2607.11169

Cartan calculus in tangent categories

Lory Aintablian·Christian Blohmann
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Abstract

We determine the structure needed in a tangent category in the sense of Rosický and Cockett-Cruttwell to construct the Cartan calculus on all objects. The missing ingredient is a scalar multiplication by a commutative ring object $R$, playing the role of the smooth real line, which equips the tangent bundle of every object with the structure of an $R$-module compatible with the tangent structure. We show that under these axioms the Lie algebra of vector fields acts by derivations on the ring of $R$-valued functions and satisfies the Leibniz rule. In other words, the tangent bundle is an abstract Lie algebroid, so that the Lie algebra of vector fields is a Lie-Rinehart algebra over the ring of functions. Consequently, every object carries a Cartan calculus of Lie-Rinehart forms, given by the Chevalley-Eilenberg complex together with its differential, inner derivative, and Lie derivative. Examples include the tangent categories of smooth manifolds, $G$-manifolds, Lie groupoids, log manifolds, pro-manifolds, elastic diffeological spaces, affine and general schemes, graded manifolds, and affine $C^\infty$-schemes.

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Lory Aintablian, Christian Blohmann. 2026-07-13. Cartan calculus in tangent categories. https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.11169

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