Cheeger-Simons differential characters with compact support and Pontryagin duality (Q2283339)

\noindent The Cheeger-Simons differential characters, which give a model for differential cohomology, are generalized to those with compact support. Let \(M\) be a manifold and \(S\) a submanifold (possibly with boundary). Let \(Z_{k}(M, S)\) denote the group of relative \(k\)-cycles of smooth singular chains on \(M\). Then a \(k\) \textit{Cheeger-Simons differential character} on relative cycles on \(M\) with respect to \(S\) is, by definition, a homomorphism \(h : Z_{k-1}(M, S) \to {\mathbb T} :={\mathbb R}/{\mathbb Z}\) for which there exists a differential form \(\omega_h \in \Omega^k(M)\) such that for any \(\gamma \in C_k(M)\), \[ h(\partial \gamma) = \int_\gamma w_h \ \ \text{mod} \ \ {\mathbb Z}. \] The authors define \(\widehat{H}^k(M, S; {\mathbb Z})\) by the abelian group of \(k\) Cheeger-Simons differential characters on relative cycles. In order to get a model for differential cohomology with compact support described in terms of Cheeger-Simons differential characters, we use the category \({\mathcal K}_M\) consisting of compact subspaces of \(M\) and subset inclusions. Then the abelian group of differential cohomology with compact support is defined by \[ \widehat{H}^k_c(M ; {\mathbb Z}) := \text{colim}(\widehat{H}^k(M, M\backslash \text{--} ; {\mathbb Z}) : {\mathcal K}_M \to \mathsf{Ab}) \] with the colimit construction. An excision theorem (Theorem 3.8) for differential characters with compact support proved by authors enables us to obtain a functor \(\widehat{H}_c^k( \text{--} ; {\mathbb Z}) : \mathsf{Man}_{m, \hookrightarrow} \to \mathsf{Ab}\) from the category of \(m\)-dimensional manifolds with smooth open embeddings as morphisms to the category of abelian groups. The functor is a model for compactly supported differential cohomology. As mentioned in Remark 4.6, the group \(\widehat{H}^k_c(M ; {\mathbb Z})\) is isomorphic to the abelian group of \((k-1)\)th de Rham-Federer charactors with compact support in [\textit{R. Harvey} et al., Am. J. Math. 125, No. 4, 791--847 (2003; Zbl 1060.58004)]. With appropriate subfunctors \(\widehat{H}^k( \text{--} ; {\mathbb Z}) _\infty^\star\) and \(\widehat{H}_c^k( \text{--} ; {\mathbb Z}) _\infty^\star\) of the functors \(\text{Hom}(\widehat{H}^k( \text{--} ; {\mathbb Z}), {\mathbb T})\) and \(\text{Hom}(\widehat{H}_c^k( \text{--} ; {\mathbb Z}), {\mathbb T})\), respectively, the authors show a duality theorem (Theorem 5.4) for differential characters with compact support. An important corollary (Smooth Pontryagin duality) asserts that there exist natural isomorphisms \[ \widehat{H}^{m-k+1}( \text{--} ; {\mathbb Z}) \stackrel{\cong}{\Longrightarrow}\widehat{H}^{k}_c( \text{--} ; {\mathbb Z})_\infty^\star \ \ \ \text{and} \ \ \ \widehat{H}^{m-k+1}_c( \text{--} ; {\mathbb Z}) \stackrel{\cong}{\Longrightarrow}\widehat{H}^{k}( \text{--} ; {\mathbb Z})_\infty^\star. \] Here the first natural isomorphism is for the functors on the category of oriented and connected \(m\)-dimensional manifolds with morphisms given by orientation-preserving open embeddings and the second one is on the full subcategory of \(m\)-dimensional manifolds of finite-type. The paper also discusses a \({\mathbb T}\)-valued pairing of differential characters with compact support.