Equivalence of connections (Q1074130)

This work is a very laborious study in the equivalence problem for the connections in Hermitian vector bundles. All considerations of the Sections 0,1,2,3 converge to the (local) equivalence theorem. We present this theorem in the form given in the introduction: ''Let E and \(\tilde E\) be n-dimensional \(C^{\infty}\) Hermitian vector bundles over \(\Omega\) open in \({\mathbb{C}}^ k\), with metric-preserving connections D and \(\tilde D,\) respectively. Let \(\Omega_ 0\) be the open dense subset of \(\Omega\) on which the dimension of the algebra generated by the curvature of D and their covariant derivatives to all orders is locally constant. If at each point z of \(\Omega\), the curvature of D and \(\tilde D\) and their covariant derivatives to order n are simultaneously unitarily equivalent (where unitary may depend on z) then E and \(\tilde E\) restricted to \(\Omega_ 0\) are locally equivalent. When E and D are real-analytic, then \(\Omega_ 0\) in fact equals \(\Omega\).'' In Section 4, the global equivalence problem is tackled. Conditions that the local equivalence implies global equivalence of the connections are established. The authors make an interesting conjecture in this sense. The paper ends with an appendix on the genericity of the connections used in the statement of the equivalence theorem.