Infinite dimensional manifolds from a new point of view (Q452106)

The author proposes a new approach to smooth manifolds formulated in the language of categories and functors. In this categorical approach, smooth manifolds of infinite dimension appear as a natural generalization of finite dimensional smooth manifolds. In particular, the author shows that de Rham cohomology and singular cohomology can be defined in his smooth manifolds in finite as well as infinite dimensions. He also shows that the classifying space \(BG\) of a Lie Group \(G\) can be constructed as an infinite dimensional smooth manifold in this new setting, and using simplicial homotopy theory and the Chern-Weil theory for principal \(G\)-bundles, it is shown that de Rham's theorem holds for \(BG\) when \(G\) is compact. As an unexpected byproduct of his work, the author finds two new simplicial models for the classifying spaces of compact Lie groups, which differ from the classical models constructed by Milnor, Milgram, Segal and Steenrod.