Differential KO-theory: constructions, computations, and applications (Q2237344)

The aim of this paper is to provide several explicit constructions of differential KO-theory and computational tools for this cohomology theory which allow explicit calculations with various examples of smooth manifolds and some applications. For the sake of completeness, the authors start by collecting some results on topological KO-theory, starting from its definitions via real vector bundles or its KO-theory \(\Omega\)-spectrum, including its coefficients and product structure. For its interest in the differential case, this section includes some properties of the Pontrjagin classes and character and differential form representatives. Orientations, associated genera and the Thom class are also recalled, and the section ends with some discussion on the relations between KO-theory and its complex counterpart. The main results of this paper include explicit constructions of differential KO-theory and to develop computational tools, mainly in the form of an Atiyah-Hirzebruch spectral sequence, which allow the authors to compute this cohomology theory for various smooth manifolds. There are two major differences with the complex differential case: First, the coefficients of differential KO-theory have torsion, which makes the real case more involved; a second major point is the explicit identification of the geometric differentials in the Atiyah-Hirzebruch spectral sequence for differential KO-theory, something that had not been done in the differential complex case. These explicit identifications of the differentials allow the authors to characterize forms in the image of the Pontrjagin character. Further applications include integrality conditions arising from higher structures, construction of Adams operations that generalize the KO-theory ones, and differential refinements of Stiefel-Whitney classes and a generalized Wu formula for them. An appendix details the higher categorical framework needed for the constructions of differential KO-theory. This is a well-written monographic paper, that develops almost from scratch, untwisted differential KO-theory in all known three variants. The treatment is thorough, filled with timely observations showing similarities and differences with the (differential refinement of the) complex case, and illustrating the developments with well-chosen examples and some applications.