The 2-Hilbert space of a prequantum bundle gerbe

Abstract

We construct a prequantum 2-Hilbert space for any line bundle gerbe whose Dixmier–Douady class is torsion. Analogously to usual prequantization, this 2-Hilbert space has the category of sections of the line bundle gerbe as its underlying 2-vector space. These sections are obtained as certain morphism categories in Waldorf’s version of the 2-category of line bundle gerbes. We show that these morphism categories carry a monoidal structure under which they are semisimple and abelian. We introduce a dual functor on the sections, which yields a closed structure on the morphisms between bundle gerbes and turns the category of sections into a 2-Hilbert space. We discuss how these 2-Hilbert spaces fit various expectations from higher prequantization. We then extend the transgression functor to the full 2-category of bundle gerbes and demonstrate its compatibility with the additional structures introduced. We discuss various aspects of Kostant–Souriau prequantization in this setting, including its dimensional reduction to ordinary prequantization.