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In the literature I have encountered two different definitions of jets of smooth functions, and I was wondering how one could identify these definitions.

One definition is the often encountered definition of smooth functions up to equivalence. The other definition I have encountered is the more intrinsic definition which assigns to a manifold $M$ $$ \mathscr{J}(M) = \text{Hom}_{C^\infty(M)}(D(M), C^\infty(M)), $$ where $D(M)$ are the differential operators on smooth functions on $M$. Is there any reference where these two approaches are identified?

Thanks in advance.

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2 Answers 2

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The definition of $k$-th order jet as an equivalence class $[f]_x^k$ of a function $f\in C^\infty M$ at point $x\in M$, gives you a natural map
\begin{align} \mathcal{j}^k\colon C^\infty M &\to \mathscr{J}^k M\\ f &\mapsto (x\mapsto [f]_x^k), \end{align} which may be shown to be the universal differential operator of order $\leq k$ out of $C^\infty M$. This means that any differential operator of order $\leq k$ out of $C^\infty M$, say $\Delta\colon C^\infty M \to P$, with $P$ a $C^\infty M$-module, factors uniquely through $\mathcal{j}^k$ via a $C^\infty M$-linear map $\phi_\Delta\colon \mathscr{J}^k M \to P$. This implies that $D^k M$ (i.e. the module differential operators from $C^\infty M$ to $C^\infty M$ of order $\leq k$, with its left $C^\infty M$-module structure) is naturally isomorphic to $\text{Hom}_{C^\infty M}(\mathscr{J}^k M,C^\infty M)=(\mathscr{J}^k M)^*$, where $P^*$ denotes the $C^\infty M$ dual. Using this we get $$ \text{Hom}_{C^\infty M}(D^k M,C^\infty M)= \text{Hom}_{C^\infty M}((\mathscr{J}^k M)^*,C^\infty M) = ((\mathscr{J}^k M)^*)^*=\mathscr{J}^k M $$ where the last equality follows from the fact that $\mathscr{J}^k M$ is a finitely generated projective $C^\infty M$-module when $M$ is a smooth manifold. Passing to the limit with $k\to \infty$ gives you the isomorphism in your question. A reference for this might be Krasil'shchik, Verbovetsky, Homological Methods in Equations of Mathematical Physics.

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This can be generalized to the following. Let $E$ and $F$ be smooth vector bundles over a smooth manifold $M$. Then differential operators of order $\leqslant k$ from $E$ to $F$ form a locally free sheaf (of finite rank) of modules over $C^{\infty}_M$ (hence a vector bundle over $M$) and it is isomorphic (as a vector bundle) to $\mbox{Jet}^k(E)^* \otimes F \cong \mbox{Hom}(\mbox{Jet}^k(E), F)$.

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