We describe a covariant framework to construct a globalized version for the perturbative quantization of nonlinear split AKSZ Sigma Models on manifolds with and without boundary, and show that it captures the change of the quantum state as one changes the constant map around which one perturbs. This is done by using concepts of formal geometry. Moreover, we show that the globalized quantum state can be interpreted as a closed section with respect to an operator that squares to zero. This condition is a generalization of the modified Quantum Master Equation as in the BV-BFV formalism, which we call the modified "differential" Quantum Master Equation.

We construct a formal global quantization of the Poisson Sigma Model in the BV-BFV formalism using the perturbative quantization of AKSZ theories on manifolds with boundary and analyze the properties of the boundary BFV operator. Moreover, we consider mixed boundary conditions and show that they lead to quantum anomalies, i.e. to a failure of the (modified differential) Quantum Master Equation. We show that it can be restored by adding boundary terms to the action, at the price of introducing corner terms in the boundary operator. We also show that the quantum GBFV operator on the total space of states is a differential, i.e. squares to zero, which is necessary for a well-defined BV cohomology.

As a detailed application of the BV-BFV formalism for the quantization of field theories on manifolds with boundary, this note describes a quantization of the relational symplectic groupoid for a constant Poisson structure. The presence of mixed boundary conditions and the globalization of results is also addressed. In particular, the paper includes an extension to space-times with boundary of some formal geometry considerations in the BV-BFV formalism, and specifically introduces into the BV-BFV framework a "differential" version of the classical and quantum master equations. The quantization constructed in this paper induces Kontsevich's deformation quantization on the underlying Poisson manifold, i.e., the Moyal product, which is known in full details. This allows focussing on the BV-BFV technology and testing it. For the unexperienced reader, this is also a practical and reasonably simple way to learn it.2010 Mathematics Subject Classification. 53D55 (Primary) 53D17, 57R56, 81T70 (Secondary).

These notes give an introduction to the mathematical framework of the Batalin–Vilkovisky and Batalin–Fradkin–Vilkovisky formalisms.

We consider a construction of observables by using methods of supersymmetric field theories. In particular, we give an extension of AKSZ-type observables constructed in Mnev (Lett Math Phys 105:1735–1783, 2015) using the Batalin–Vilkovisky structure of AKSZ theories to a formal global version with methods of formal geometry. We will consider the case where the AKSZ theory is “split” which will give an explicit construction for formal vector fields on base and fiber within the formal global action. Moreover, we consider the example of formal global generalized Wilson surface observables whose expectation values are invariants of higher-dimensional knots by using BF field theory. These constructions give rise to interesting global gauge conditions such as the differential quantum master equation and further extensions.