A description of classical field equations using extensions of graded Poisson brackets

Abstract: As it is well-known, Poisson brackets play a fundamental role both in mechanics and in classical field theories. In this paper we develop a theory of extensions of graded Poisson brackets in graded Dirac manifolds. We then show how these extensions can be used to obtain the field equations of a particular theory as well as the evolution of forms of arbitrary order, in a similar way that ordinary Poisson brackets provide in mechanics.