A general approach to connections: Algebra and geometry (Q1186141)

According to Uhlmann's ideas, the author considers the following algebraic definition of a covariant derivative. Let \(L\) be a left \(A\)- module, where \(A\) is an associative algebra over a field \(K\). A covariant derivative in \(L\) is a \(K\)-linear map \(\nabla: \text{Der}(A)\to \text{End}_ K(L)\) satisfying the usual Leibniz rule. Denoted by \(\text{space}(A)\) the set of the finitely generated maximal ideals of \(A\), \(\nabla\) is said to be localized over \(\text{space}(A)\) if \(X(A)\subset I\) implies \(\nabla_ X(L)\subset IL\) for all \(I\in \text{space}(A)\) and \(X\in\text{Der}(A)\). The author considers covariant derivatives and connections and the related notions of curvature and connection forms. He develops a corresponding algebraic calculus and introduces algebraic \(r\)-locality conditions based on the notion of \(\text{space}(A)\). The second part of this paper contains an illustration of the general algebraic scheme in some geometric examples; The author gives the notion of \(r\)-connections on general fibre bundles and then on principal and vector bundles imposing additional conditions to assure the compatibility of \(r\)-connections with the group actions. A great part of the general results in the usual theory of connections has an analogous formulation in this case. Connection forms and curvature are generalized differential forms which have to be computed in \(r\)-jets of vector fields. The usual operations on differential forms are defined also for \(r\)-th order forms and they are subject to the usual relations. Clearly, the algebraic calculus developed in this paper should be useful for the geometric formulation of Yang-Mills-like theories. Finally, it has to be noted that generalized connections involving jet bundles have been studied by several authors with a different approach.