A cohomological description of connections and curvature over posets

John E. Roberts; Giuseppe Ruzzi

Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · math/0604173

A cohomological description of connections and curvature over posets

John E. Roberts·Giuseppe Ruzzi

View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

What remains of a geometrical notion like that of a principal bundle when the base space is not a manifold but a coarse graining of it, like the poset formed by a base for the topology ordered under inclusion? Motivated by finding a geometrical framework for developing gauge theories in algebraic quantum field theory, we give, in the present paper, a first answer to this question. The notions of transition function, connection form and curvature form find a nice description in terms of cohomology, in general non-Abelian, of a poset with values in a group $G$. Interpreting a 1--cocycle as a principal bundle, a connection turns out to be a 1--cochain associated in a suitable way with this 1--cocycle; the curvature of a connection turns out to be its 2--coboundary. We show the existence of nonflat connections, and relate flat connections to homomorphisms of the fundamental group of the poset into $G$. We discuss holonomy and prove an analogue of the Ambrose-Singer theorem.

Explore related subjects

math.AT hep-th math-ph math.MP

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

John E. Roberts, Giuseppe Ruzzi. 2006-04-07. A cohomological description of connections and curvature over posets. https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0604173

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

The fifth algebraic transfer in generic degrees and validation of a localized Kameko's conjecture

This paper develops our previous works concerning the classical Peterson hit problem for the polynomial algebra on five variables over the mod--2 Steenrod algebra $\mathscr A$ in a generic family of degrees, together with applications to the fifth Singer algebraic transfer and a localized variation of Kameko's conjecture. As a topological illustration of the usefulness of the Steenrod algebra, we prove that $\mathbb{C}P^4/\mathbb{C}P^2$ and $\mathbb{S}^6\vee \mathbb{S}^8$ are not homotopy equivalent by showing that their mod--2 cohomologies are not isomorphic as $\mathscr A$-modules, and we further determine the homotopy type of the quotient $\mathbb{C}P^n/\mathbb{C}P^{\,n-2}$ for all $n\ge 3$. For the generic degrees under consideration, we determine the relevant cohit spaces and describe the associated $GL(5,\mathbb F_2)$-module structure. As a consequence, the fifth algebraic transfer is an isomorphism in an explicit infinite family of internal degrees. These results were independently verified by implementations in \texttt{SageMath} and \texttt{OSCAR}. We also study a localized form of Kameko's conjecture concerning the dimensions of the indecomposables $\mathbb F_2\otimes_{\mathscr A}\mathbb F_2[x_1,\ldots,x_m]$ relative to parameter vectors, and prove that this conjecture holds for all $m\ge 1$ in certain degrees.

math.AT↗

arXiv2026

A rigidity theorem for $π_*$-étale $\mathbb E_k$-algebras

We prove a rigidity theorem for $π_*$-étale $\mathbb E_k$-algebras over an $\mathbb E_{k+1}$-ring spectrum: the category of $π_*$-étale extensions of an $\mathbb E_k$-algebra is identified with the ordinary category of étale Dirac algebras over its graded homotopy Dirac ring. The proof develops a relative Goerss-Hopkins type obstruction theory in synthetic spectra, including an $I$-complete version. As an application, the completed obstruction theory constructs the $I_n$-complete $\mathbb E_3$-$MU_{(p)}$-algebra realization of the Lubin-Tate theory, hence an $\mathbb E_4$-orientation $MU_{(p)}\to E_n$.

math.AT↗

arXiv2026

Automated proofs of unstable Adams differentials

We present a computer-based approach to computing differentials in the unstable Adams spectral sequence by systematically applying the unstable Leibniz rule and naturality with respect to maps in the EHP sequence. We record our results in tables of upper and lower bounds on the orders of 2-primary unstable homotopy groups of spheres through the unstable 50-stem. We provide examples of proofs for several differentials and give a guide to interpreting the associated unstable Adams charts and flow chart diagrams for differential proofs.

math.AT↗