Skip to main content

All Questions

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
8 votes
0 answers
233 views
+300

Maps with small fibers between manifolds of equal dimension

The following question is an attempt to revise this one into what I intended. Important revisions are shown in bold. Are there any known examples of a compact Riemannian manifold $M$ with (possibly ...
5 votes
0 answers
233 views

Classification of principal $\mathrm{SO}(3)$-bundles on a 4-manifold via characteristic classes

I am interested in a reference with a detailed (as simple and topological as possible) proof of the following fact: Theorem. A principal $\mathrm{SO}(3)$-bundle on a compact oriented 4-manifold are ...
5 votes
0 answers
179 views

Deformations of cotangent bundles

Let $M$ be a smooth variety of even dimension over $\mathbb C$. I am interested in necessary or sufficient conditions such that $X$ is a deformation of a family of cotangent bundles. In other words, ...
2 votes
1 answer
380 views

Is it always possible to connect the endpoints of a smooth injective path, so the resulting path is smooth, closed and simple?

Motivation The motivation for this question arises from the following problem: Is there a closed, simple, and infinitely differentiable path on the (complex) plane such that every straight line has a ...
4 votes
0 answers
177 views

Basis of topology on space of properly embedded smooth manifolds

In A Short Exposition of the Madsen-Weiss Theorem, Hatcher discusses (starting at p.6) a basis for a topology on the space $\mathcal{C}^n$, the space of all smooth oriented $d$-dimensional ...
9 votes
2 answers
1k views

Number of spin structures

I am probably missing something obvious, but still... Consider an oriented Riemannian $n$-dimensional vector bundle $\pi: E\rightarrow X$ over compact manifold $X$ with $\omega_2(E)=0$ so it has spin ...
8 votes
2 answers
896 views

Can you do geometry with persistent homology?

Setup In practice, persistent homology of data $X$ is often used to infer the homology of the underlying (Riemannian) manifold $M$ that the data is sampled from. However most filtrations (Vietoris, ...
7 votes
2 answers
834 views

Holonomy as integration of curvature for principal $G$-bundles?

Holonomy and curvature may seem to be slightly advanced topics in geometry. However, their origins are easily imaginable. Namely, picture the surface of earth $S$, and pick an arbitrary contractible ...
147 votes
21 answers
23k views

Are there examples of non-orientable manifolds in nature?

Whilst browsing through Marcel Berger's book "A Panoramic View of Riemannian Geometry" and thinking about the Klein bottle, I came across the sentence: "The unorientable surfaces are never discussed ...
3 votes
1 answer
135 views

Geodesic convexity of Dirichlet Fundamental Domains

My question is motivated by this question, and this answer to it. Below, let's consider the setup in that answer: Let $M$ be a Riemannian manifold. Let $G\times M\to M$ be a proper action of a ...
7 votes
1 answer
202 views

Lipschitz bounds and homotopy groups of diffeomorphism groups

Let $M$ denote a closed Riemannian manifold. Let $\mathrm{Diff}_0^L(M)$ denote the supspace of the identity component of the diffeomorphism group $\mathrm{Diff}_0(M)$ of diffeomorphisms with Lipschitz ...
7 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is there a theorem showing that de Rham homology is isomorphic to singular homology?

The only exposition of de Rham homology I've found is an appendix to Uranga and Ibanezs book on String Phenomenology. It was brief and gave only basic outline of how to construct this homology. Now de ...
14 votes
1 answer
573 views

Different proof techniques of the Atiyah-Singer index theorem

I am aware of the usual K-theoretical (cobordism, operator algebras) and heat kernel proofs of the index theorem, as answered in other questions in this site, e.g. here. However, I recently read this ...
3 votes
1 answer
118 views

Characterization of self-conjugate spin$^c$ structures

Let $M$ be an oriented Riemannian $n$-manifold. Then we can choose a trivializing open cover $M=\bigcup_\alpha U_\alpha$ for $TM$ and corresponding transition functions $g_{\alpha \beta}:U_\alpha \...
0 votes
1 answer
91 views

Topological Properties of Subsets of $R^{m}$ induced by Smooth Manifolds in Matrix Spaces

We know that $M_{m \times n } $ is isomorphic to $R^{mn}$. Let's take a smooth manifold $\mathbb{M}$ in $R^{mn}$ and fix a point in $R^{n}$, say, $p$. Now realize the manifold $\mathbb{M}$ as a subset ...
2 votes
0 answers
116 views

Generalized Stokes's theorem and the relationship of volume to surface area of objects of arbitrary genus

In this post I saw that it could be explained with the Generalized Stokes's theorem why the derivative of the area of a circle is equal to the boundary of the circle (the circumference): $$C=\frac{d}{...
0 votes
0 answers
32 views

Morse Theory for Time-Periodic Constrained Path Spaces

Let $(M,g)$ be a smooth, compact Riemannian manifold of dimension $n \geq 2$. Define a time-periodic constraint field $\Phi: M \times \mathbb{R} \to \{0,1\}$ with period $T > 0$, where $\Phi(x,t) = ...
0 votes
0 answers
68 views

Large volume growth of covering space

Let $(M,g)$ be a Riemannian manifold with non-negative Ricci curvature. The Bishop-Gromov volume comparison says that: if $$\alpha_M=\lim_{r\rightarrow\infty}\frac{VolB^M(p,r)}{\omega_nr^n},$$ then $0\...
2 votes
0 answers
101 views

A roof genus of high dimensional lens space

Let $p$ be a natural number, and for $i\in \{0, ..., p-1\}$, denote the irreducible rank one complex representation of $\mathbb{Z}/p$. by $\rho_{i}$. Let $a=(a_{1},\ldots a_{d}) $ ...
6 votes
0 answers
129 views

Are there isospectrally equivalent exotic spheres?

Let $X$ and $Y$ be two different exotic spheres. Are there metrics $g$ and $h$ on $X$ and $Y$, respectively, such that the laplacians of $(X,g)$ and $(Y,h)$ have the same spectrum? I would be happy ...
14 votes
1 answer
1k views

Progress on Gromov's Conjecture of the bound of total Betti numbers

This question is a reference request. Let $(M,g)$ be a Riemannian manifold of dimension $n$, and $b_i(M) = \dim H_i(M,\mathbb{R})$. Gromov proved it that there are constants $C(n)$ such that, if the ...
2 votes
2 answers
495 views

Are Chern classes always vertical?

Let $c_k \in H^{2k}(M, \mathbb{Z})$ be the $k$-th Chern class of the tangent bundle of a Hermitian manifold $M$. Is $c_k$ necessarily vertical, i.e. $$ c_k = \sum_{i_1,\dots, i_{k}} \alpha_{i_1 \dots ...
9 votes
1 answer
756 views

Does there exist a GRR-like generalization of the AS Index Theorem?

The Hirzebruch Riemann-Roch Theorem (HRR) expresses an analytic/algebraic invariant, namely the Euler-Poincaré characteristic of a vector bundle $V$ over a compact complex/algebraic manifold $X$, as ...
0 votes
1 answer
155 views

Vector bundles over a homotopy-equivalent fibration

I think this question is related to what is known as "obstruction theory", but I'm not very familiar with this field of mathematics, so I am asking here. Let $\pi:N\rightarrow M$ be a smooth ...
9 votes
2 answers
1k views

Restrictions of diffeomorphisms

$\DeclareMathOperator\Diff{Diff}\DeclareMathOperator\Imb{Imb}$Notation: Let $M$ be a smooth, closed manifold, $S$ any submanifold of $M$, $\Diff(M)$ the group of diffeomorphisms of $M$ and $\Imb(S, M)$...
3 votes
1 answer
200 views

Does the group of compactly supported diffeomorphisms have the homotopy type of a CW complex?

It is known that the group of diffeomorphisms of a compact manifold with the natural $C^{\infty}$ topology has the homotopy type of a countable CW complex. See for instance this thread: Is the space ...
1 vote
0 answers
133 views

Stable equivalence and stability theorem of vector bundles

I am going through this paper by Tanaka. In the proof of Proposition 3.2(1) given below The author says that by the stability theorem as $\dim (B)\le m$ we have $\alpha\oplus1\cong m\oplus1$. But I ...
2 votes
0 answers
208 views

Classification of bundles with fixed total space

I am aware of classification theorems for principal bundles, vector bundles, and covering spaces $\pi:E\to B$ over a fixed base space $B$. Principal and vector bundles over $B$ are classified by ...
7 votes
0 answers
194 views

Are the spaces BG for compact connected groups G ind-projective or ind-Kähler?

Let $G$ be a compact connected group, or maybe better its complexification. By thinking about the simplicial Borel space, or using $n$-acyclic $G$-spaces for higher and higher $n$, it's "easy&...
0 votes
0 answers
85 views

Existence of covering space with trivial pullback map on $H^1$

I have seen somewhere the following claim (but can't remember where): let $M$ be a connected orientable closed smooth manifold with $b_1(M)=1$, then there exists a connected covering space $p:\tilde{M}...
1 vote
0 answers
153 views

Poincaré-Hopf Theorem for domains with a point of vanishing curvature

Consider $\Omega \subset \mathbb{R}^2$ a convex planar domain having positive curvature on the boundary except for a point $p \in \partial \Omega$ where the curvature vanishes. I would like to know ...
13 votes
4 answers
2k views

Fundamental groups of compact Kähler manifolds

This is a sort of a follow-up to this question, and especially to Sean Lawton's answer: The book Fundamental Groups of compact Kähler manifolds (which, in my opinion, is one of the best mathematics ...
0 votes
1 answer
376 views

Relation between trivial tangent bundle $\Leftrightarrow$ certain characteristic classes of tangent bundle vanish [closed]

We know that framing structure means the trivialization of tangent bundle of manifold $M$. string structure means the trivialization of Stiefel-Whitney class $w_1$, $w_2$ and half of the first ...
23 votes
2 answers
2k views

Uniqueness of compactification of an end of a manifold

Let $M$ be an $n$-dimensional manifold (smooth or topological). I call $\bar{M}$ a compactification of $M$ if it is an $n$-dimensional compact manifold with boundary $\partial \bar{M}$, an $(n-1)$-...
6 votes
2 answers
401 views

"canonical" framing of 3-manifolds

In Witten's 1989 QFT and Jones polynomial paper, he said Although the tangent bundle of a three manifold can be trivialized, there is no canonical way to do this. So if I understand correctly, ...
1 vote
0 answers
151 views

Witten's QFT Jones polynomial work on Atiyah Patodi Singer theorem and $\hat A$ genus over Chern character

In Witten's 1989 QFT and Jones polynomial paper, he wrote in eq.2.22 that Atiyah Patodi Singer theorem says that the combination: $$ \frac{1}{2} \eta_{grav} + \frac{1}{12}\frac{I(g)}{2 \pi} $$ is a ...
13 votes
3 answers
851 views

Are negatively pinched manifold locally conformally flat?

One knows that hyperbolic manifolds are locally conformally flat. How about those negatively pinched manifolds, i.e. the sectional curvature $K$ satisfy: $$ -\Lambda \le K \le -\lambda$$ for $\Lambda&...
2 votes
0 answers
175 views

Minimal first Pontryagin class $p_1=1$?

From Hirzbuch theorem, the signature of 4-manifold $\sigma = p_1/3$ with the first Pontryagin class $p_1$. I know that the $\sigma=p_1/3 =1$ so $p_1=3$ for complex projective space $\mathbb{P}^2$. Is ...
6 votes
1 answer
289 views

Relationship between the holonomy pseudogroup and holonomy homomorphism (foliation)

This question is surely a duplication of https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/4343635/relationship-between-the-holonomy-pseudogroup-and-holonomy-homomorphism-foliati , however, I got no replies. ...
1 vote
1 answer
192 views

Lie group framing and framed bordism

What is the definition of Lie group framing, in simple terms? Is the Lie group framing of spheres a particular type of Lie group framing? (How special is the Lie group framing of spheres differed ...
2 votes
1 answer
165 views

string bordism group and framed bordism group for $d \leq 6$ and $d \geq 7$

Why do the string bordism group and the framed bordism group coincide the same in dimensions lower than 7 ($d = 0,1,2,3,4,5, 6$)? Why do the string bordism group and the framed bordism group differ ...
16 votes
0 answers
425 views

Is the oriented bordism ring generated by homogeneous spaces?

I am trying to find a Riemannian geometrically well-understood set of generators of the oriented bordism ring, including the torsion parts. By a set of generators, I mean that the set generates the ...
3 votes
1 answer
238 views

1D topological defects in $d>3$ spatial dimensions

I am trying to construct a 1D topological defect solution in 4 spatial dimensions, i.e., a solution to some PDE (likely the equations of motion of some Lagrangian) on $\mathbb{R}^{4}$ which is ...
1 vote
0 answers
155 views

Lifting action of torus to torus bundle

Preamble: Let $X$ be a simply connected smooth manifold and $P \to X$ be a principal $T^\ell$ bundle on it. Let $\phi$ be a smooth action of $T^k$ on $X$. The paper "Lifting compact group actions ...
1 vote
0 answers
64 views

Physical measure of a dynamical system in terms of its density

Let $f$ be a $\mathcal{C}^1$ vector field on a compact subset $M \subset \mathbb{R}^n$. We define a dynamical system by $$\dot{x}(t)=f(x(t))$$ In ergodic theory, the occupation measure is $$\mu_{x, T}(...
15 votes
2 answers
2k views

Every 4-manifold has a $\operatorname{Spin}^c$ Structure

$\DeclareMathOperator\Spin{Spin}\DeclareMathOperator\SO{SO}$I'm having trouble understanding the proof given in Morgan's The Seiberg–Witten Equations and Applications to the Topology of Smooth Four-...
5 votes
0 answers
248 views

Algebraic de Rham cohomology with torus coefficients

Let $X$ be a smooth projective variety over $\mathbb{C}.$ On page 3 in this preprint of Simpson, it is stated that Notice first of all that the algebraic de Rham theory is not going to work well in ...
13 votes
3 answers
1k views

Manifold whose universal covering is a sphere but which is not a space form?

Let $M^n$ be a smooth manifold whose universal cover is homeomorphic $\mathbb{S}^n$, are there examples where $M^n$ is not homeomorphic to a space form ? The answer may vary if you replace ...
0 votes
0 answers
58 views

Role of basins of attraction in the Morse decomposition

Let $M$ be a differentiable manifold and $F \in \mathcal{X}(M)$. We define a DS by $$\dot{x}=F(x(t))$$ An ordered collection $\mathcal{M}=\left\{M_{1}, \ldots, M_{l}\right\}$ of compact subsets of ...
3 votes
1 answer
228 views

Does $H^3\times I$ admit a Kähler metric?

Let $H^3$ be the Heisenberg manifold. It is known that the first betti number of $H^3\times S^1$ is odd and therefore it does not support any Kähler metric. Now let $I=(0,1)$ or $I=[0,1]$, does it ...

1
2 3 4 5
13