Axiomatic characterization of ordinary differential cohomology

DOI10.1112/JTOPOL/JTM006MaRDI QIDQ5451806zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors James Simons, Dennis Sullivan

Publication date 27 March 2008

Published in Journal of Topology (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0701077

zbMATH Keywords

Deligne cohomologyCheeger-Simons differential characterscharacter diagramHarvey-Lawson constructionHopkins-Singer construction

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Eta-invariants, Chern-Simons invariants (58J28) Algebraic topology on manifolds and differential topology (57R19)

Abstract: Cheeger-Simons differential characters, Deligne cohomology in the smooth category, the Hopkins-Singer construction of ordinary differential cohomology and the recent Harvey-Lawson constructions are each in two distinct ways Abelian group extensions of known functors. In one desciption these objects are extensions of integral cohomology by the quotient space of all differential forms by the subspace of closed forms with integral periods. In the other they are extensions of closed differential forms with integral periods by the cohomology with coefficients in the circle. These two series of short exact sequences mesh with two interlocking long exact sequences (the Bockstein sequence and a DeRham sequence) to form a commutative DNA-like array of functors called the Character Diagram. Theorem 1.1 shows that on the category of smooth manifolds and smooth maps any package consisting of a functor into graded abelian groups together with four natural transformations that fit together so as to form a Character Diagram as above is unique up to unique natural equivalence. Theorem 1.2 shows the natural product structure on differential characters is uniquely characterized by its compatibility with the product structures on the known functors in the Character Diagram. The proof of Theorem 1.1 couples the naturality with results about approximating smooth singular cycles and homologies by embedded pseudomanifolds.

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Cited in

(42)

• The de Rham-Federer theory of differential characters and character duality
• Differential function spectra, the differential Becker-Gottlieb transfer, and applications to differential algebraic 𝐾-theory
• Differential cohomology theories as sheaves of spectra
• Differential twisted K-theory and applications
• The differential analytic index in Simons-Sullivan differential K-theory
• Relative differential cohomology and generalized Cheeger-Simons characters
• Chern-Simons classes for a superconnection
• Massey products in differential cohomology via stacks
• Abelian BF theory and Turaev-Viro invariant
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• Comparison of two equivariant \(\eta\)-forms
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• Trivializations of differential cocycles
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• Equivariant differential cohomology
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• Differential cohomotopy versus differential cohomology for M-theory and differential lifts of Postnikov towers
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• Adams operations in smooth \(K\)-theory
• Modal fracture of higher groups
• Landweber exact formal group laws and smooth cohomology theories
• Relative differential cohomology
• Gerbes in geometry, field theory, and quantisation
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• Hadamard states for quantum abelian duality
• Geometric Hodge filtered complex cobordism
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• Differential characters and geometric chains
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• Abelian duality on globally hyperbolic spacetimes
• String connections and Chern-Simons theory
• Aspects of higher-abelian gauge theories at zero and finite temperature: topological Casimir effect, duality and Polyakov loops
• Differential cohomology and locally covariant quantum field theory

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