Finite-dimensional subbundles of loop bundles (Q816341)

Let \(M\) be a finite-dimensional smooth manifold and \(U(n)\) the unitary group of rank \(n\). If \(LM\) denotes the space of smooth loops \({\mathcal C}^\infty(S^1, M)\), then a rank \(n\) loop bundle is an infinite-dimensional vector bundle whose structure group is the loop group, \(LU(n)\). A rank \(n\) loop bundle will have fibers isomorphic to the loop spaces \(L\mathbb C^n\). In this paper, the author studies subbundles of loop bundles. A finite-dimensional subspace \(W\) of \(L\mathbb C^ n\) is almost generating if there is some dense subset \(T\) of \(S^ l\) such that the natural map \(C^\infty(T,\mathbb C)\otimes W\to C^\infty(T,\mathbb C^ n)\) is surjective. The natural restriction map from \(L\mathbb C^ n = C^\infty(S^ 1,\mathbb C^ n)\) to \(C^\infty(T,\mathbb C^ n)\) is used in order to consider \(W\) as a subspace of \(C^\infty(T,\mathbb C^ n)\). The author shows that a loop bundle \(\xi\to X\) admits an almost generating subbundle \(\zeta\to X\) if and only if the structure group of \(\xi\) reduces to \(U_ n\), viewed as the constant loops in \(LU_ n\). \(\xi\) is isomorphic to \(L\mathbb C\otimes\psi\), where \(\psi\) is an \(n\)-dimensional vector bundle over \(X\). It is also shown that a loop bundle \(\xi\to X\) admits a reduction of its structure group to a compact group if and only if it admits a reduction of its structure group to \(U_ n\).