Harmonic Gauss sections, object inclusion maps and Yang-Mills connections (Q1330234)

Let \((M,g)\) be a smooth Riemannian manifold and \(\pi : P \to M\) a right principal \(G\)-bundle with a right connection form \(\omega\) on \(P\), where \(G\) is a Lie group that admits a bi-invariant Riemannian metric \(\langle , \rangle\). The \(\omega\)-horizontally lifted metric \(\widetilde{g} = \pi^*(g) + \langle \omega,\omega \rangle\) makes \(\pi : (P,\widetilde{g}) \to (M,g)\) into a Riemannian submersion with totally geodesic fibers [\textit{J. Vilms}, J. Differ. Geom. 4, 73-79 (1970; Zbl 0194.529)]. \textit{C. M. Wood} [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc., III. Ser. 54, 544- 558 (1987; Zbl 0616.53028)] proved that \(\omega\) is flat (resp. Yang- Mills) if and only if the Gauss section \(\gamma_ P = [P\backepsilon u \mapsto \text{Ker}(d \pi)_ u \subset T_ u P]\) on \((P,\widetilde{g})\) is horizontal (resp. harmonic) with respect to \(\nabla\), and \(\omega\) is parallel if \(\gamma_ P\) is covariantly horizontal with respect to \(\nabla\), where \(\nabla\) is the Riemannian connection of \(P\). The author establishes several characterizations of Yang-Mills (resp. flat, resp. parallel) connections of \(P\) in terms of harmonic (resp. horizontal, resp. covariantly horizontal) Gauss sections on appropriate principal bundles with respect to certain connections, each of which being a generalization of C. M. Wood's theorem.