Courant-Nijenhuis tensors and generalized geometries

Abstract

Nijenhuis tensors $N$ on Courant algebroids compatible with the pairing are studied. This compatibility condition turns out to be of the form $N+N^*=aI$ for irreducible Courant algebroids, in particular for the extended tangent bundles $TM\oplus T^*M$. It is proved that compatible Nijenhuis tensors on irreducible Courant algebroids must satisfy quadratic relations $N^2-aN+bI=0$, so that the corresponding hierarchy is very poor. The particular case $N^2=-I$ is associated with Hitchin's generalized geometries and the cases $N^2=I$ and $N^2=0$ -- to other "generalized geometries". These concepts find a natural description in terms of supersymplectic Poisson brackets on graded supermanifolds.