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We prove a 2-categorical analogue of a classical result of Drinfeld: there is a one-to-one correspondence between connected, simply connected Poisson Lie 2-groups and Lie 2-bialgebras. In fact, we also prove that there is a one-to-one correspondence between connected, simply connected quasi-Poisson 2-groups and quasi-Lie 2-bialgebras. Our approach relies on a “universal lifting theorem” for Lie 2-groups: an isomorphism between the graded Lie algebras of multiplicative polyvector fields on the Lie 2-group on one hand and of polydifferentials on the corresponding Lie 2-algebra on the other hand.

In G2 manifolds, 3-dimensional associative submanifolds (instantons) play a role similar to J-holomorphic curves in symplectic geometry. In [21], instantons in G2 manifolds were constructed from regular J-holomorphic curves in coassociative submanifolds. In this exposition paper, after reviewing the background of G2 geometry, we explain the main ingredients in the proofs in [21]. We also construct new examples of instantons.

Let .. be the fundamental group of a compact riemannian manifold X of sectional curvature K ≤ .1 and dimension n ≥ 3. We suppose that .. = A .C B is the free product of its subgroups A and B amalgamated over the subgroup C. We prove that the critical exponent δ(C) of C satisfies δ(C) ≥ n.2. The equality occurs if and only if there exist an embedded compact hypersurface Y . X, totally geodesic, of constant sectional curvature .1, whose fundamental group is C and which separates X in two connected components whose fundamental groups are A and B respectively. Similar results hold if .. is an HNN extension, or more generally if .. acts on a simplicial tree without fixed point.

We study analytic properties of harmonic maps from Riemannian polyhedra into CAT(κ) spaces for κ∈{0,1}. Locally, on each top-dimensional face of the domain, this amounts to studying harmonic maps from smooth domains into CAT(κ) spaces. We compute a target variation formula that captures the curvature bound in the target, and use it to prove an Lp Liouville-type theorem for harmonic maps from admissible polyhedra into convex CAT(κ) spaces. Another consequence we derive from the target variation formula is the Eells–Sampson Bochner formula for CAT(1) targets.