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Differential Characters and Geometric Chains

Part of the Lecture Notes in Mathematics book series (LNM,volume 2112)

Abstract

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.

Keywords

  • Exact Sequence
  • Line Bundle
  • Parallel Transport
  • Cohomology Theory
  • Torsion Class

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Correspondence to Christian Bär .

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© 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Bär, C., Becker, C. (2014). Differential Characters and Geometric Chains. In: Differential Characters. Lecture Notes in Mathematics, vol 2112. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07034-6_1

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