Differential \(K\)-theory as equivalence classes of maps to Grassmannians and unitary groups (Q302302)

The main result of the paper is the representation of differential \(K\)-theory as the set of certain equivalence classes of smooth maps. To be more specific, let \(M\) be a smooth compact manifold. Let \(U\) be the stable unitary group \(\varinjlim U_n\). Let \(N_{-1}=U\) and \(N_0=BU\times\mathbb{Z}\). Let \(PN_i\) denote the path space of \(N_i\). The authors define a universal Chern-Simons form \(\mathrm{CS}\) on \(PN_i\), and define that two maps \(f_0,f_1: M\to N_i\) are \textit{CS-equivalent} if there is a smooth homotopy \(f\) between them, understood as a map \(f: M\to PN_i\), such that the pullback of \(\mathrm{CS}\) along \(f\) is an exact form on \(M\). Then the authors show that the differential \(K\)-theory \(\widehat{K}^{i}(M)\) can be represented as the set \([ M, N_i]_{\mathrm{CS}}\) of CS-equivalence classes of maps \(M\to N_i\).