|  Fiber Bundles | 
In General
  > s.a. bundles; Trivialization.
  * Idea: The formalization
    of the concept of local product of manifolds, and a generalization of
    covering space.
  * History: Axiomatic definitions
    were tried around 1935–1940; & Ehresmann, Hurewicz, Hopf, Steenrod.
  $ Def 1: A quadruple
    (E, B, π, G), where (E,
    B, π) is a bundle and G is a topological
    group of homeomorphisms of the typical fiber F onto itself such
    that, for some open cover {Ui}
    of B (part of its manifold structure) we have (1) Local
    triviality, In every patch of the base space there is a homeomorphism
    φi:
    π−1(Ui)
    → Ui × F,
    of the form φi(p)
    = (π(p), φi(p)),
    with φi a
    homeomorphism; (Ui,
    φi) is called
    a local trivialization; (2) Transition functions, For all
    x ∈ Ui
    ∩ Uj, the mapping
    φi,x \(\circ\)
    φj,x−1:
    F → F belongs to G, and thus defines
    a mapping gij:
    Ui ∩
    Uj → G,
    called transition function; The latter is continuous, and
    gij(x)
    gjk(x)
    = gik(x).
  $ Def 2: More simply,
    it is a principal fiber bundle (P, G, ζ)
    and a manifold F with an action of G on F
    (not necessarily free); To construct the actual manifold E,
    divide P × F by the action of G defined by (p,
    f) \(\mapsto\)(pg−1, gf).
  * Property: The
    dimensions are related by dim(E) = dim(B) + dim(F).
  * Property: As for
    all quasifibrations, the sequence ...→ πi(F)
    → πi(E)
    → πi(B)
    → πi−1(F)
    → ... is exact.
  @ References: Steenrod 51;
    Husemoller 75.
Constructions and Operations
  * Reconstruction method: Given the base
    space B (with covering Ui),
    transition functionns gij(x),
    fiber F, and group G, the total space is E:=
    ∪i (Ui
    × F)/~, where (x, f) ~ (x', f
    ') if x = x' and gij(x)
    f = f '; The projection is π[(x, f)]:=
    x, and the local trivialization, using
    φi−1:
    Ui × F →
    π−1(Ui),
    is (x, f) \(\mapsto\)[(x, f)].
  - Remark: If we
    change gij(x)
    \(\mapsto\)g'ij(x):=
    λi−1(x)
    gij(x)
    λj(x),
    the new bundle is topologically the same as before, so we might
    want to consider equivalence classes of fiber bundles.
  * Reduction: To
    reduce the group of transformations preserving the fiber structure,
    require the fibers to have more structure.
  * Pullback bundle:
    Given (E, B, π, G), and
    thus Ui,
    gij, F, and
    a map f : A → B, one can construct f*E
    on A, by straightforward pullback of the transition functions,
    same F and G, and reconstruction.
  - Equivalently: f*E
    = {(a, p) ∈ A × E | f(a)
    = π(p)}, and π((a, p))
    = π(p).
  - Remark:E trivial
    implies f*E trivial; f, g: A →
    B homotopic implies f*E and g*E
    equivalent.
  * Restriction to a
    subset of the base space: The definition is the obvious one; The
    pullback of E under the base space inclusion map.
  * Other constructions:
    Associated fiber bundle to a principal fiber bundle; Direct sum of tensor
    bundles; Disjoint union; Tensor product of vector bundles; Whitney sum;
    More generally, one can use continuous functors of several variables (in a
    category where morphisms are isomorphisms) to construct new bundles.
  * Cartesian product:
    Given vector bundles (Ei,
    Bi,
    πi), the cartesian
    product is (E1 ×
    E2, B1
    × B2, π1
    × π2), where the fiber is
    given the tensor product linear structure; Example: if M
    = M1 × M2,
    TM = TM1 ×
    TM2.
Other Related Concepts > s.a. types
  of fiber bundles; principal fiber bundles.
  * Natural bundle: A category
    of fibre bundles, considered together with a special class of morphisms.
  * Gauge-natural bundle:
    A generalization of natural bundles, used in functorial approach to
    classical field theories.
  * Remark: Every classical
    field theory can be regarded as taking place on some jet prolongation of
    some (vector or affine) gauge-natural bundle associated with some principal
    bundle over a given base manifold.
  @ Natural bundles: Nijenhuis in(72);
    in Kolár et al 93;
    in Matteucci pr(02).
  @ Gauge-natural bundles: Eck MAMS(81);
    in Kolár et al 93;
    in Matteucci pr(02).
And Physics
  > s.a. field theory; formulations of quantum mechanics;
  gauge theory; topology in physics.
  * Idea: Used
    extensively in gauge theories, because it is the structure
    that allows one to define "internal" symmetries.
  @ References: Geroch ln;
    Trautman RPMP(76) [rev];
    Daniel & Viallet RMP(80);
    Nash & Sen 83, ch7; Morand 84;
    Coquereaux & Jadczyk 88;
    Iliev PS(03)qp/02 [and relativistic quantum mechanics];
    Sen & Sewell JMP(02) [in quantum physics];
    Collinucci & Wijns ht/06-ln;
    Sardanashvily a0908-ln [and jet manifolds and Lagrangian theory];
    Weatherall a1411,
    Marsh a1607 [and gauge theory].
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