Superanalogs of symplectic and contact geometry and their applications to quantum field theory

Abstract

The paper contains a short review of the theory of symplectic and contact manifolds and of the generalization of this theory to the case of supermanifolds. It is shown that this generalization can be used to obtain some important results in quantum field theory. In particular, regarding $N$-superconformal geometry as particular case of contact complex geometry, one can better understand $N=2$ superconformal field theory and its connection to topological conformal field theory. The odd symplectic geometry constitutes a mathematical basis of Batalin-Vilkovisky procedure of quantization of gauge theories. The exposition is based mostly on published papers. However, the paper contains also a review of some unpublished results (in the section devoted to the axiomatics of $N=2$ superconformal theory and topological quantum field theory). The paper will be published in Berezin memorial volume.