Noncommutative differential K-theory

(K)-theory and homology; cyclic homology and cohomology (19D55) Twisted (K)-theory; differential (K)-theory (19L50) Noncommutative geometry (à la Connes) (58B34) Eta-invariants, Chern-Simons invariants (58J28)

Abstract: We introduce a differential extension of algebraic K-theory of an algebra using Karoubi's Chern character. In doing so, we develop a necessary theory of secondary transgression forms as well as a differential refinement of the smooth Serre--Swan correspondence. Our construction subsumes the differential K-theory of a smooth manifold when the algebra is complex-valued smooth functions. Furthermore, our construction fits into a noncommutative differential cohomology hexagon diagram.

Review text

This paper introduces the notion of noncommutative differential \(K\)-theory associated to a (not necessarily commutative) \(k\)-algebra \(A\) and a differentially graded algebra \(\Omega_*(A)\) satisfying \(\Omega_0(A)=A\), called a DGA on top of \(A\). In the special case where \(A=C^{\infty}(X,\mathbb{C})\) and \(\Omega_*(A)=\Omega^*(X;\mathbb{C})\), with \(X\) a smooth manifold, it is shown that this noncommutative differential \(K\)-theory reduces to the usual differential \(K\)-theory of the smooth manifold \(X\). The paper begins with a review of differential \(K\)-theory and Karoubi's noncommutative chern character, which takes values in the abelianization of a DGA on top of \(A\). Taking the DGA on top of \(A\) to be the exterior algebra \(\Omega_*^u(A)\) of (the noncommutative generalization of) Kahler differentials provides a universal example: given any DGA \(\Omega_*(A)\) that is functorial in \(A\), there is a canonical map \(\Omega_*^u(A)\to \Omega_*(A)\) that arises as the \(A\) component of the initial morphism in the category of DGA's on top of algebras. The paper proceeds by defining the Karoubi-Chern-Simons transgression form \(KCS(D_t)\), associated to a polynomial path of connections on a finitely generated projective module over \(A\). The Karoubi-Chern-Simons form takes values in the abelianization of \(\Omega_*(A)\) and it is shown that \(dKCS(D_t)=\mathrm{ch}(D_1)-\mathrm{ch}(D_0)\), where \(\mathrm{ch}\) denotes the Karoubi Chern character, as expected. Further properties of \(KCS\) are also explored. Given a DGA \(\Omega_*(A)\) over \(A\), the noncommutative differential \(K\)-theory \(\widehat{K}_0(A)\) is then defined to be the Grothendieck group completion of the monoid whose undelying set is given by taking equivalence classes of triples \((M,D,\omega)\), where \(M\) is a finitely generated projective module over \(A\), \(D\) is a connection on \(A\) and \(\omega\) is an odd form in the abelianization of \(\Omega^*(A)\). Two triples \((M_0,D_0,\omega_0)\) and \((M_1,D_1,\omega_1)\) are equivalent if there is a module \(N\) with connection \(D\) and an isomorphism \(\phi:M_0\oplus N\to M_1\oplus N\) such that \(KCS(D_0\oplus D,\phi^*(D_1\oplus D))=\omega_1-\omega_0\), modulo exact forms. The monoid operation is given by taking the direct sum of modules and connections and the sum of differential forms. The map that sends a triple \((M,D,\omega)\) to the module \(M\) isnduces a morphism \(I:\widehat{K}_0(A)\to K_0(A)\) and the Karoubi Chern character refines to a homomorphism \(R:\widehat{K}_0(A)\to \Omega_*(A)_{\mathrm{ab}}\). The paper concludes by showing that differential noncommutative \(K\)-theory fits into a hexagon diagram similar to the hexagon diagram for commutative differential \(K\)-theory.

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