The quantum differential equations can be regarded as examples of equations with certain universal properties which are of wider interest beyond quantum cohomology itself. We present this point of view as part of a framework which accommodates the KdV equation and other well known integrable systems. In the case of quantum cohomology, the theory is remarkably effective in packaging geometric information; we illustrate this with reference to simple examples of Gromov-Witten invariants, variations of Hodge structure, the Reconstruction Theorem, and the Crepant Resolution Conjecture. Based on lectures given at the summer school "Geometric and Topological Methods for Quantum Field Theory", Villa de Leyva, 2007.
We introduce a space of stable meromorphic differentials with poles of prescribed orders and define its tautological cohomology ring. This space, just as the space of holomorphic differentials, is stratified according to the set of multiplicities of zeros of the differential. The main goal of this paper is to compute the Poincaré-dual cohomology classes of all strata. We prove that all these classes are tautological and give an algorithm to compute them. In a second part of the paper we study the Picard group of the strata. We use the tools introduced in the first part to deduce several relati…
These are expository notes from the 2008 Srni Winter School. They have two purposes: (1) to give a quick introduction to exterior differential systems (EDS), which is a collection of techniques for determining local existence to systems of partial differential equations, and (2) to give an exposition of recent work (joint with C. Robles) on the study of the Fubini-Griffiths-Harris rigidity of rational homogeneous varieties, which also involves an advance in the EDS technology.
We propose a version of the Hodge conjecture in Bott-Chern cohomology and using results from characterizing real holomorphic chains by real rectifiable currents to provide a proof for this question. We define a Bott-Chern differential cohomology and use atomic section theory of Harvey and Lawson to construct refined Bott-Chern classes for holomorphic vector bundles in this differential cohomology. These refined Bott-Chern classes transform naturally to standard Chern classes, Bott-Chern classes and Cheeger-Simons' refined Chern classes.
We study two notions of relative differential cohomology, using the model of differential characters. The two notions arise from the two options to construct relative homology, either by cycles of a quotient complex or of a mapping cone complex. We discuss the relation of the two notions of relative differential cohomology to each other. We discuss long exact sequences for both notions, thereby clarifying their relation to absolute differential cohomology. We construct the external and internal product of relative and absolute characters and show that relative differential cohomology is a righ…
For a compact Lie group acting on a smooth manifold, we define the differential cohomology of a certain quotient stack involving principal bundles with connection. This produces differential equivariant cohomology groups that map to the Cartan-Weil equivariant forms and to Borel's equivariant integral cohomology. We show the Chern-Weil homomorphism for equivariant vector bundles with connection naturally factors through differential equivariant cohomology.
These course note first provide an introduction to secondary characteristic classes and differential cohomology. They continue with a presentation of a stable homotopy theoretic approach to the theory of differential extensions of generalized cohomology theories including products and Umkehr maps.
In [1] it was shown that K^, a certain differential cohomology functor associated to complex K-theory, satisfies the Mayer-Vietoris property when the underlying manifold is compact. It turns out that this result is quite general. The work that follows shows the M-V property to hold on compact manifolds for any differential cohomology functor J^ associated to any Z-graded cohomology functor J(,Z) which, in each degree, assigns to a point a finitely generated group. The approach is to show that the result follows from Diagram 1, the commutative diagram we take as a definition of differential coh…
The space of differential operators acting on skewsymmetric tensor fields or on smooth forms of a smooth manifold are representations of its Lie algebra of vector fields. We compute the first cohomology spaces of these representations and show how they are related to the cohomology with coefficients in ther space of smooth functions of the manifold.
One computes the cohomology of the projective embedding of sl(m+1,R) acting on the differential operators on densities on R^m of various weights. This cohomology is non vanishing only for some special critical values of the weights. This allows us first to explain some strange feature pointed out by Gargoubi in his classification if the module of differential operators on the line. This also allows us to provide a so called sl(m+1,R) invariant symbol for differential operators acting on densities of non critical weights.
Let $M$ be a smooth manifold, $\cal S$ the space of polynomial on fibers functions on $T^*M$ (i.e., of symmetric contravariant tensor fields). We compute the first cohomology space of the Lie algebra, $Vect(M)$, of vector fields on $M$ with coefficients in the space of linear differential operators on $\cal S$. This cohomology space is closely related to the $Vect(M)$-modules, ${\cal D}_λ(M)$, of linear differential operators on the space of tensor densities on $M$ of degree $λ$.
Let h be a rationally even cohomology theory and h^ the natural differential refinement, as defined by Hopkins and Singer. We consider the possible definitions of the relative differential cohomology groups, generalizing the analogous picture for the Deligne cohomology, and we show the corresponding long exact sequence in each case.
We define a new version of the exterior derivative on the basic forms of a Riemannian foliation to obtain a new form of basic cohomology that satisfies Poincaré duality in the transversally orientable case. We use this twisted basic cohomology to show relationships between curvature, tautness, and vanishing of the basic Euler characteristic and basic signature.
The main goal of the present paper is the construction of twisted generalized differential cohomology theories and the comprehensive statement of its basic functorial properties. Technically it combines the homotopy theoretic approach to (untwisted) generalized differential cohomology developed by Hopkins-Singer and later by the first author and D. Gepner with the oo-categorical treatement of twisted cohomology by Ando-Blumberg-Gepner. We introduce the notion of a differential twist for a given generalized cohomology theory and construct twisted differential cohomology groups (resp. spectra). …
Let $M$ be a smooth manifold and $Γ$ a group acting on $M$ by diffeomorphisms; which means that there is a group morphism $ρ:Γ\rightarrow \mathrm{Diff}(M)$ from $Γ$ to the group of diffeomorphisms of $M$. For any such action we associate a cohomology $\mathrm{H}(Ω(M)_Γ)$ which we call the cohomology of $Γ$-coinvariant forms. This is the cohomology of the graded vector space generated by the differentiable forms $ω-ρ(γ)^*ω$ where $ω$ is a differential form with compact support and $γ\in Γ$. The present paper is an introduction to the study of this cohomology. More precisely, we study the relati…
Deligne cohomology can be viewed as a differential refinement of integral cohomology, hence captures both topological and geometric information. On the other hand, it can be viewed as the simplest nontrivial version of a differential cohomology theory. While more involved differential cohomology theories have been explicitly twisted, the same has not been done to Deligne cohomology, although existence is known at a general abstract level. We work out what it means to twist Deligne cohomology, by taking degree one twists of both integral cohomology and de Rham cohomology. We present the main pr…
We consider the $\mathfrak{aff}(n|1)-$module structure on the spaces of differential bilinear operators acting on the superspaces of weighted densities. We classify $\mathfrak{aff}(n|1)-$invariant binary differential operators acting on the spaces of weighted densities. This result allows us to compute the first $\mathfrak{aff}(n|1)-$relative differential cohomology of $\mathcal{K}(n)$ with coefficients in the superspace of linear differential operators acting on the superspaces of weighted densities.
We study the relation between Sobolev inequalities for differential forms on a Riemannian manifold $(M,g)$ and the $L_{q,p}$-cohomology of that manifold. The $L_{q,p}$-cohomology of $(M,g)$ is defined to be the quotient of the space of closed differential forms in $L^p(M)$ modulo the exact forms which are exterior differentials of forms in $L^q(M)$.
The infinitesimal period relation (also known as Griffiths' transversality) is the system of partial differential equations constraining variations of Hodge structure. This paper presents a study of the characteristic cohomology associated with that system of pde.
Let $M$ be a manifold and $T^*M$ be the cotangent bundle. We introduce a 1-cocycle on the group of diffeomorphisms of $M$ with values in the space of linear differential operators acting on $C^{\infty} (T^*M).$ When $M$ is the $n$-dimensional sphere, $S^n$, we use this 1-cocycle to compute the first-cohomology group of the group of diffeomorphisms of $S^n$, with coefficients in the space of linear differential operators acting on contravariant tensor fields.
The construction of characteristic classes via the curvature form of a connection is one motivation for the refinement of integral cohomology by de Rham cocycles -- known as differential cohomology. We will discuss the analog in the case of a group action on the manifold: The definition of equivariant characteristic forms in the Cartan model due to Nicole Berline and Michèle Vergne motivates a refinement of equivariant integral cohomology by all Cartan cocycles. In view of this, we will also review previous definitions critically, in particular the one given by Kiyonori Gomi.
We extend Massey products from cohomology to differential cohomology via stacks, organizing and generalizing existing constructions in Deligne cohomology. We study the properties and show how they are related to more classical Massey products in de Rham, singular, and Deligne cohomology. The setting and the algebraic machinery via stacks allow for computations and make the construction well-suited for applications. We illustrate with several examples from differential geometry and mathematical physics.
Over the $(1,n)$-dimensional real superspace, $n>1$, we classify $\mathcal{K}(n)$-invariant binary differential operators acting on the superspaces of weighted densities, where $\mathcal{K}(n)$ is the Lie superalgebra of contact vector fields. This result allows us to compute the first differential cohomology of %the Lie superalgebra $\mathcal{K}(n)$ with coefficients in the superspace of linear differential operators acting on the superspaces of weighted densities--a superisation of a result by Feigin and Fuchs. We explicitly give 1-cocycles spanning these cohomology spaces.
In [1] it was shown that K^, a certain differential cohomology functor associated to complex K-theory, satisfies the Mayer-Vietoris property when the underlying manifold is compact. It turns out that this result is quite general. The work that follows shows the M-V property to hold on compact manifolds for any differential cohomology functor J^ associated to any Z-graded cohomology functor J(, Z) which, in each degree, assigns to a point a finitely generated group. The approach is to show that the result follows from Diagram 1, the commutative diagram we take as a definition of differential co…
In this paper we show that a parallel differential form $Ψ$ of even degree on a Riemannian manifold allows to define a natural differential both on $Ω^\ast(M)$ and $Ω^\ast(M, TM)$, defined via the Frölicher-Nijenhuis bracket. For instance, on a Kähler manifold, these operators are the complex differential and the Dolbeault differential, respectively. We investigate this construction when taking the differential w.r.t. the canonical parallel $4$-form on a $G_2$- and ${\rm Spin}(7)$-manifold, respectively. We calculate the cohomology groups of $Ω^\ast(M)$ and give a partial description of the co…
We construct the Atiyah-Hirzebruch spectral sequence (AHSS) for twisted differential generalized cohomology theories. This generalizes to the twisted setting the authors' corresponding earlier construction for differential cohomology theories, as well as to the differential setting the AHSS for twisted generalized cohomology theories, including that of twisted K-theory by Rosenberg and Atiyah-Segal. In describing twisted differential spectra we build on the work of Bunke-Nikolaus, but we find it useful for our purposes to take an approach that highlights direct analogies with classical bundles…
We consider spectral sequences in smooth generalized cohomology theories, including differential generalized cohomology theories. The main differential spectral sequences will be of the Atiyah-Hirzebruch (AHSS) type, where we provide a filtration by the Cech resolution of smooth manifolds. This allows for systematic study of torsion in differential cohomology. We apply this in detail to smooth Deligne cohomology, differential topological complex K-theory, and to a smooth extension of integral Morava K-theory that we introduce. In each case we explicitly identify the differentials in the corres…
By adapting the Cheeger-Simons approach to differential cohomology, we establish a notion of differential cohomology with compact support. We show that it is functorial with respect to open embeddings and that it fits into a natural diagram of exact sequences which compare it to compactly supported singular cohomology and differential forms with compact support, in full analogy to ordinary differential cohomology. We prove an excision theorem for differential cohomology using a suitable relative version. Furthermore, we use our model to give an independent proof of Pontryagin duality for diffe…
We provide a suitable axiomatic framework for differential cohomology in the relative case and we deduce the corresponding long exact sequences. We also construct the relative version of the generalized Cheeger-Simons characters and we define the integration map when the fibre has a boundary.
This is the second paper in a series devoted to developing an arithmetic PDE analogue of Riemannian geometry. In Part 1 arithmetic PDE analogues of Levi-Civita and Chern connections were introduced and studied. In this paper arithmetic analogues of curvature and characteristic classes are developed.
The main topic of this paper is two folds. First, we compute the first relative cohomology group of the Lie algebra of smooth vector fields on the projective line, Vect(RP^1), with coefficients in the space of bilinear differential operators that act on tensor densities, D_{λ, ν;μ}, vanishing on the Lie algebra sl(2,R). Second, we compute the first cohomology group of the Lie algebra sl(2,R) with coefficients in D_{λ, ν;μ}.
We review and elaborate on some aspects of the quantization of certain classes of higher abelian gauge theories using techniques of generalized differential cohomology. Particular emphasis is placed on the examples of generalized Maxwell theory and Cheeger-Simons cohomology, and of Ramond-Ramond fields in Type II superstring theory and differential K-theory.
We study differential cohomology on categories of globally hyperbolic Lorentzian manifolds. The Lorentzian metric allows us to define a natural transformation whose kernel generalizes Maxwell's equations and fits into a restriction of the fundamental exact sequences of differential cohomology. We consider smooth Pontryagin duals of differential cohomology groups, which are subgroups of the character groups. We prove that these groups fit into smooth duals of the fundamental exact sequences of differential cohomology and equip them with a natural presymplectic structure derived from a generaliz…
We study Poincaré type $L^p$ inequality on a compact semialgebraic subset of $\R^n$ for $p>>1$. First we derive a local inequality by using a Lipschitz deformation retraction with estimates on its derivatives. Then, we extend the local inequality to a global inequality by employing double complex technique. As a consequence we obtain an isomorphism between $L^p$ cohomology and singular cohomology of a normal compact semialgebraic pseudomanifold.
We study the cohomology of the complexes of differential, integral and pseudo forms on odd symplectic manifolds taking the wedge product with the symplectic form as differential. We show that the cohomology classes are in correspondence with inequivalent Lagrangian submanifolds and that they all define semidensities on them. Further, we introduce new operators that move from one Lagragian submanifold to another and we investigate their relation with the so-called picture changing operators for the de Rham differential. Finally, we prove the isomorphism between the cohomology of the de Rham dif…
The quantum cohomology of CP^1 provides a distinguished solution of the third Painleve equation. S. Cecotti and C. Vafa discovered this from a physical viewpoint. We derive it from a differential geometric viewpoint, using the theory of harmonic maps and in particular the generalized Weierstrass representation (DPW representation) for spacelike surfaces of constant mean curvature in Minkowski space. The nontrivial aspects are the characterization of the solution, and its global behaviour. From our point of view, the latter property says that the extended harmonic map remains entirely within a …
In this paper we introduce the Cheeger-Simons cohomology of a global quotient orbifold. We prove that the Cheeger-Simons cohomology of the orbifold is isomorphic to its Beilinson-Deligne cohomology. Furthermore we construct a string connection (à la Segal) from a global gerbe with connection over the loop orbifold, refining the corresponding differential character.
Let Vect(R) be the Lie algebra of smooth vector fields on R. The space of symbols Pol(T^* R) admits a non-trivial deformation (given by differential operators on weighted densities) as a Vect(R)-module that becomes trivial once the action is restricted to sl(2). The deformations of Pol(T^* R), which become trivial once the action is restricted to sl(2) and such that the Vect(R)-action on them is expressed in terms of differential operators, are classified by the elements of the weight basis of H^2(Vect(R),sl(2);D_{λ,μ}). The main result of this paper is computation of this cohomology. In addit…
We construct a new equivariant cohomology theory for a certain class of differential vertex algebras, which we call the chiral equivariant cohomology. A principal example of a differential vertex algebra in this class is the chiral de Rham complex of Malikov-Schechtman-Vaintrob of a manifold with a group action. The main idea in this paper is to synthesize the algebraic approach to classical equivariant cohomology due to H. Cartan, with the theory of differential vertex algebras, by using an appropriate notion of invariant theory. We also construct the vertex algebra analogues of the Mathai-Qu…
Let $π\colon P\to M$ be a principal bundle and $p$ an invariant polynomial of degree r on the Lie algebra of the structure group. The theory of Chern-Simons differential characters is exploited to define an homology map $χ^{k} : H_{2r-k-1}(M)\times H_{k}(\mathcal{F}/\mathcal{G})\to \mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z}$, for $k<r-1$, where $\mathcal{F} /\mathcal{G}$ is the moduli space of flat connections of $π$ under the action of a subgroup $\mathcal{G}$ of the gauge group. The differential characters of first order are related to the Dijkgraaf-Witten action for Chern-Simons Theory. The second order charact…
Let $M$ be either a projective manifold $(M,Pi)$ or a pseudo-Riemannian manifold $(M,g).$ We extend, intrinsically, the projective/conformal Schwarzian derivatives that we have introduced recently, to the space of differential operators acting on symmetric contravariant tensor fields of any degree on $M.$ As operators, we show that the projective/conformal Schwarzian derivatives depend only on the projective connection $Pi$ and the conformal class $[g]$ of the metric, respectively. Furthermore, we compute the first cohomology group of $Vect(M)$ with coefficients into the space of symmetric con…
We study Cheeger-Simons differential characters and provide geometric descriptions of the ring structure and of the fiber integration map. The uniqueness of differential cohomology (up to unique natural transformation) is proved by deriving an explicit formula for any natural transformation between a differential cohomology theory and the model given by differential characters. Fiber integration for fibers with boundary is treated in the context of relative differential characters. As applications we treat higher-dimensional holonomy, parallel transport, and transgression.
We give an overview of differential cohomology from a modern, homotopy-theoretic perspective in terms of sheaves on manifolds. Although modern techniques are used, we base our discussion in the classical precursors to this modern approach, such as Chern-Weil theory and differential characters, and include the necessary background to increase accessibility. Special treatment is given to differential characteristic classes, including a differential lift of the first Pontryagin class. Multiple applications, including to configuration spaces, invertible field theories, and conformal immersions, ar…
We formulate differential cohomology and Chern-Weil theory -- the theory of connections on fiber bundles and of gauge fields -- abstractly in the context of a certain class of higher toposes that we call "cohesive". Cocycles in this differential cohomology classify higher principal bundles equipped with cohesive structure (topological, smooth, synthetic differential, supergeometric, etc.) and equipped with connections, hence higher gauge fields. We discuss various models of the axioms and applications to fundamental notions and constructions in quantum field theory and string theory. In partic…
Degree one twisting of Deligne cohomology, as a differential refinement of integral cohomology, was established in previous work. Here we consider higher degree twists. The Rham complex, hence de Rham cohomology, admits twists of any odd degree. However, in order to consider twists of integral cohomology we need a periodic version. Combining the periodic versions of both ingredients leads us to introduce a periodic form of Deligne cohomology. We demonstrate that this theory indeed admits a twist by a gerbe of any odd degree. We present the main properties of the new theory and illustrate its u…
We explore differential and algebraic operations on the exterior product of spinor representations and their twists that give rise to cohomology, the spin cohomology. A linear differential operator $d$ is introduced which is associated to a connection $\nabla$ and a parallel spinor $ζ$, $\nablaζ=0$, and the algebraic operators $D_{(p)}$ are constructed from skew-products of $p$ gamma matrices. We exhibit a large number of spin cohomology operators and we investigate the spin cohomologies associated with connections whose holonomy is a subgroup of $SU(m)$, $G_2$, $Spin(7)$ and $Sp(2)$. In the $…
In this paper, we introduce the notions of logarithmic Poisson structure and logarithmic principal Poisson structure; we prove that the latter induces a representation by logarithmic derivation of the module of logarithmic Kahler differentials; therefore, it induces a differential complex from which we derive the notion of logarithmic Poisson cohomology. We prove that Poisson cohomology and logarithmic Poisson cohomology are equal when the Poisson structure is logsymplectic. We give an example of non logsymplectic but logarithmic Poisson structure for which these cohomologies are equal. We als…
As is well-known, the Witten deformation of the De Rham complex computes the De Rham cohomology. In this paper we study the Witten deformation on a noncompact manifold and restrict it to differential forms which behave polynomially near infinity. Such polynomial differential forms naturally appear on manifolds with a cylindrical structure. We prove that the cohomology of the Witten deformation acting on the complex of the polynomially growing forms can be computed as the relative cohomology of the manifold with respect to the negative remote fiber of the function. We show that the assumptions …
We construct a differential Gerstenhaber-Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra from Dolbeault complex of any close Kaehler manifold, and a Frobenius manifold structure on Dolbeault cohomology.
We define quantum exterior product wedge_h and quantum exterior differential d_h on Poisson manifolds (of which symplectic manifolds are an important class of examples). Quantum de Rham cohomology, which is a deformation quantization of de Rham cohomology, is defined as the cohomology of d_h. We also define quantum Dolbeault cohomology. A version of quantum integral on symplectic manifolds is considered and the correspoding quantum Stokes theorem is proved. We also derive quantum hard Lefschetz theorem. By replacing d by d_h and wedge by wedge_h in the usual definitions, we define many quantum…
In the background effective field theory of heterotic string theory, the Green-Schwarz anomaly cancellation mechanism plays a key role. Here we reinterpret it and its magnetic dual version in terms of differential twisted String- and differential twisted Fivebrane-structures that generalize the notion of Spin-structures and Spin-lifting gerbes and their differential refinement to smooth Spin-connections. We show that all these structures can be encoded in terms of nonabelian cohomology, twisted nonabelian cohomology, and differential twisted nonabelian cohomology, extending the differential ge…
The concept of orbifolds should unify differential geometry with equivariant homotopy theory, so that orbifold cohomology should unify differential cohomology with proper equivariant cohomology theory. Despite the prominent role that orbifolds have come to play in mathematics and mathematical physics, especially in string theory, the formulation of a general theory of orbifolds reflecting this unification has remained an open problem. Here we present a natural theory argued to achieve this. We give both a general abstract axiomatization in higher topos theory, as well as concrete models for or…
We present a version of the Penrose transform which relates compactly supported cohomology on a complex or CR manifold Z to kernels and cokernels of differential operators on a parameter space X of compact complex submanifolds of Z.
We define quantum exterior product wedge_h and quantum exterior differential d_h on Poisson manifolds, of which symplectic manifolds are an important class of examples. Quantum de Rham cohomology is defined as the cohomology of d_h. We also define quantum Dolbeault cohomology. Quantum hard Lefschetz theorem is proved. We also define a version of quantum integral, and prove the quantum Stokes theorem. By the trick of replacing d by d_h and wedge by wedge_h in the usual definitions, we define many quantum analogues of important objects in differential geometry, e.g. quantum curvature. The quantu…
