Equivariant differential characters and Chern-Simons bundles (Q1983584)

In classical gauge theory Chern-Simons bundles are certain \(\operatorname{Gau}(P)\)-equivariant bundles over the space of connections of the trivial \(\operatorname{SU}(2)\)-bundle \(P\) over a closed 2-manifold. The present paper demonstrates a generalization to arbitrary principal \(G\)-bundles \(P\) over even-dimensional manifolds. This yields an \(\operatorname{Aut}^+(P)\)-equivariant \(U(1)\)-bundle with connection determined by an equivariant notion of holonomy. Its existence is guaranteed via an equivariant differential character, which is a term generalized to an equivariant setting studied independently. Finally, some applications in the context of spaces of Riemannian metrics and Teichmüller space are discussed. The article draws from and extends several earlier works of the author, especially [\textit{R. Ferreiro Pérez}, Differ. Geom. Appl. 66, 1--12 (2019; Zbl 1423.53066); \textit{R. Ferreiro Pérez}, Ann. Mat. Pura Appl. (4) 197, No. 6, 1749--1770 (2018; Zbl 1410.53028)].