Geometry of principal sheaves

DOI10.1007/1-4020-3416-4MaRDI QIDQ5317679zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Publication date 20 September 2005

Published in Mathematics and Its Applications (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3416-4

commutative associative and unital algebras connections curvature differential manifold differential spaces differential triads Lie sheaves sheaf-cohomology singularities vector sheaf

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Abstract manifolds and fiber bundles (category-theoretic aspects) (18F15) Research exposition (monographs, survey articles) pertaining to differential geometry (53-02) Connections (general theory) (53C05) Research exposition (monographs, survey articles) pertaining to algebraic topology (55-02) Sheaf cohomology in algebraic topology (55N30) Differentiable manifolds, foundations (58A05) Differential spaces (58A40)

Review text

Well-known deficiencies of the theory of smooth manifolds in description of the spaces with singularities gave rise, years ago, to the studies of various structures extending that of a differential manifold. One of them was Mallios' notion of a differential triade \((\mathcal A, d, \Omega)\) attached to a topological space \(X\), where \(\mathcal A\) is a sheaf of commutative associative and unital algebras, \(\Omega\) an \(\mathcal A\)-module, and \(d\) an \(\Omega\)-valued derivation of \(\mathcal A\). These spaces include smooth manifolds as well as various kinds of differential spaces (e.g., R. Sikorski, M. A. Mostow, J. W. Smith, I. Satake). The book provides an accessible, well-written monograph devoted to the theory of principal sheaves and their connections in the setting initiated by [\textit{A. Mallios}, Geometry of vector sheaves. An axiomatic approach to differential geometry. Volume I: Vector sheaves. General theory. Mathematics and its Applications (Dordrecht). 439. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. (1998; Zbl 0904.18001), Geometry of vector sheaves. An axiomatic approach to differential geometry. Volume II: Geometry. Examples and applications. Mathematics and its Applications (Dordrecht). 439. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. (1998; Zbl 0904.18002)]. It is designed also as a reference book with detailed expositions and complete and self-contained proofs. Chapter 1 contains the basic notions and facts from the theory of sheaves and sheaf-cohomology. The next two chapters give a detailed study of differential triads and Lie sheaves of groups. Chapter 4 is devoted to the theory of principal sheaves, where the most important example is given by the sheaf of frames of a vector sheaf. The vector sheaves are treated in the next chapter. The subsequent chapters deal with connections on a principal sheaf and its associated sheaves. Chapter 8 is centered on the curvature of a connection and chapter 9 deals with a counterpart of a Chern-Weil homomorphism. The last chapter contains a few applications illustrating the notions and ideas of this book. One could say that this book can convince us that some parts of differential geometry can be formulated in the general setting of principal or vector sheaves but it can not convince that such a formulation has big advantages. Then again a polish writer Stanisław Lem joked in his book ``Summa Technologiae that a mathematician is like a mad tailor -- making all possible clothes not knowing for whom. In the presence of a new two-volume book by [\textit{Anastasios Mallios}, Modern differential geometry in gauge theories. Vol. I: Maxwell fields, Vol. II: Yang-Mills fields, Progress in Mathematical Physics 41, (2005; Zbl 1116.18006) and Progress in Mathematical Physics 42. Basel: Birkhäuser (2005; Zbl 1185.18001)] dealing with physical applications. I am sure that some day the ``clothes made by the author will be successfully ``worn in challenges of modern mathematics or physics.

Recommendations

Cited in

(14)

This page was built for publication: Geometry of principal sheaves

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q5317679)