String connections and Chern-Simons theory
Let \(P \to M\) be a principal \(\mathrm{Spin}(n)\)-bundle over a smooth manifold \(M\) (where \(n=3\) or \(n >4\)). We know that the homomorphism \(H^4(B\mathrm{SO}(n), \mathbb{Z}) \to H^4(B\mathrm{Spin}(n), \mathbb{Z})\) induced by the natural map \(B\mathrm{Spin}(n) \to B\mathrm{SO}(n)\) sends the Pontryagin class \(p_1 \in H^4(B\mathrm{SO}(n), \mathbb{Z})\cong\mathbb{Z} \) to twice a generator of \(H^4(B\mathrm{Spin}(n), \mathbb{Z})\cong\mathbb{Z}\), which is denoted by \(\frac{1}{2}p_1\). We say that \(P\) is string if \(\frac{1}{2}p_1(P)=0\) and call a lifting of the classifying map \(M \to B\mathrm{Spin}(n)\) of \(P\) to \(B\mathrm{String}(n)\) a string structure on \(P\), where \(B\mathrm{String}(n)\) is the homotopy fiber of \(\frac{1}{2}p_1 : B\mathrm{Spin}(n) \to K(4, \mathbb{Z})\). However, here the following equivalent definition is used for the reason that the group \(\mathrm{String}(n)\) is not a compact Lie group: A string structure on \(P\) is a cohomology class \(\xi \in H^3(P, \mathbb{Z})\) that restricts fiberwise to the standard generator of \(H^3(\mathrm{Spin}(n), \mathbb{Z})\).NEWLINENEWLINEThe aim of this paper is to propose a new formulation of a string structure in terms of bundle gerbes for the study of a string connection. Put \(G=\mathrm{Spin}(n)\) and consider a bundle 2-gerbe \(\mathbb{CS}_P\), called the Chern-Simons 2-gerbe, associated to \(P\) and a certain multiplicative bundle gerbe over \(G\). The author shows first that its characteristic class \(\text{CC}(\mathbb{CS}_P)\) is equal to \(\frac{1}{2}p_1(P)\) and that the nullness of \(\text{CC}(\mathbb{CS}_P)\) can be detected using the notion of a trivialization of \(\mathbb{CS}_P\). More precisely, it is shown that such a trivialization \(\mathbb{T}\) defines a string structure \(\xi_\mathbb{T} \in H^3(P, \mathbb{Z})\) and that, moreover, both of them determine each other bijectively via the assignment \(\mathbb{T} \mapsto \xi_\mathbb{T}\). This means that a trivialization can be regarded as a string structure. That is, we are led to the following definition: A string structure on \(P\) is a trivialization of \(\mathbb{CS}_P\).NEWLINENEWLINEThis motivates a new definition of a string connection on \(\mathbb{CS}_P\). It is first observed that any connection \(A\) on \(P\) determines a connection \(\nabla_A\) on \(\mathbb{CS}_P\). Based on this, a string connection for \((\mathbb{T}, A)\) is defined as a connection \(\blacktriangledown\) on \(\mathbb{T}\) that is compatible with \(\nabla_A\) and we call the pair \((\mathbb{T}, \blacktriangledown)\) a geometric string structure on \((P, A)\). We then have the result that if \(\frac{1}{2}p_1(P)=0\) then \((P, A)\) admits a geometric string structure, which provides a starting point of subsequent arguments. At the beginning of Section 2.2, it is emphasized that the main concern here is to present the advantages exhibited therein of using the definition of a string structure proposed here.
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- A loop space formulation for geometric lifting problems
- An introduction to bundle gerbes
- Axiomatic characterization of ordinary differential cohomology
- Beyond the elliptic genus
- Bundle 2-Gerbes
- Bundle Gerbes
- Bundle gerbes for Chern-Simons and Wess-Zumino-Witten theories
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- Central extensions of smooth 2-groups and a finite-dimensional string 2-group
- Characteristic forms and geometric invariants
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- Parallel transport and functors
- Quadratic functions in geometry, topology, and \(M\)-theory
- Setting the quantum integrand of M-theory
- Supersymmetric field theories and generalized cohomology
- The basic gerbe over a compact simple Lie group
- The geometry of degree-4 characteristic classes and of line bundles on loop spaces. II
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- What is an elliptic object?
- WZW BRANES AND GERBES
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- The non-abelian self-dual string
- Towards an M5-brane model. III: Self-duality from additional trivial fields
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- Cheeger-Chern-Simons theory and differential string classes
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- String Network and<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mi mathvariant="italic">U</mml:mi></mml:math>Duality
- Twisted differential string and fivebrane structures
- A classification of equivariant gerbe connections
- Towards an M5-brane model. I: A 6d superconformal field theory
- String structure over the Brownian bridge
- Secondary invariants for string bordism and topological modular forms
- String geometry vs. spin geometry on loop spaces
- Twisted cohomotopy implies twisted string structure on M5-branes
- Twistorial cohomotopy implies Green-Schwarz anomaly cancellation
- Holomorphic string algebroids
- Ninebrane structures
- Central extensions of smooth 2-groups and a finite-dimensional string 2-group
- Higher Structures, Self‐Dual Strings and 6d Superconformal Field Theories
- Twisted Weil Algebras for the String Lie 2‐Algebra
- The Heterotic-Ricci flow and its three-dimensional solitons
- String structures and canonical 3-forms
- An invitation to higher gauge theory
- String structures and trivialisations of a Pfaffian line bundle
- Integrals detecting degree 3 string cobordism classes
- Gauge theory for string algebroids
- Smooth Fock bundles, and spinor bundles on loop space
- Bordism for the 2-group symmetries of the heterotic and CHL strings
- Connes fusion of spinors on loop space
- Explicit non-abelian gerbes with connections
- On the paper ``Bundle gerbes by Michael Murray
- Chern correspondence for higher principal bundles
- Flat principal 2-group bundles and flat string structures
- Relating gauge gravity to string theory through obstruction
- Rigid models for 2-gerbes. I: Chern-Simons geometry
- Trialities of minimally supersymmetric 2d gauge theories
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