Generalized and graded geometry for mechanics: a comprehensive introduction

Abstract: In this paper we make an overview of results relating the recent "discoveries" in differential geometry, such as higher structures and differential graded manifolds with some natural problems coming from mechanics. We explain that a lot of classical differential geometric constructions in the context can be conveniently described using the language of Q-structures, and thus Q-structure preserving integrators are potentially of great use in mechanics. We give some hints how the latter can be constructed, and formulate some open problems. Since the text is intended both to mathematics and mechanics communities, we tried to make it accessible to non-geometers as well.