Fibre Bundles

By manifold below, we mean smooth manifold, and by mapping (of manifolds) we mean smooth mapping. A bre bundle consists of B M , where B is a manifold (called the bundle space), M is a manifold (called the base space) and is a mapping (called the projection) of manifolds, with the following property. Given any point p of M , there exists an open neighborhood U of p in M , a manifold F , and a dieomorphism from U F to 1 [U ], such that U F U is the projection onto the rst factor of U F . For example: Let M and F be any manifolds, set B = M F , the product of these manifolds, and let be the mapping from B to M that sends (p, k ) (where p M and k F ) to p M . This is a bre bundle called the product bundle of M and F . Not every bre bundle, of course, is such a simple product. Let B M be a bre bundle. Then for each point p M , 1 [p] is a submanifold of B , called the bre over p. Now x a point x in the bre over p M , so (x) = p. A tangent vector in B at point x is called vertical if it is tangent to this bre. The vertical vectors at the point x B form a vector space, whose dimension is the dimension of the bres. In the case of a product bundle, for example, the bre over po M is the set of all points of B = M F of the form (po , k ), with k F ; and the vertical vectors are those tangent to the F -factor. We shall normally use Greek indices to label vertical vectors, e.g., as . The bres of a bre bundle are frequently endowed with some additional structure (such as that of a vector space, of a group, of a Hilbert space, etc). The presence of this additional structure is normally indicated by so naming the bundle. So, for example, we have the notion of a vector bundle, of a group bundle, etc. A subspace H of the tangent space at x B that is complementary to the vertical subspace (i.e., that is such that every tangent vector at x can be written in one and only one way as the sum of a vertical vector and a vector in H ) is called a horizonal subspace. For a product bundle, for example, one horizontal subspace at (p, k ) M F is that consisting of vectors tangent to the M -factor (although, of course, there are in general many other horizontal subspaces at this point). Let there be given a horizontal subspace, H , at x B . Then the projection map, , gives rise to an isomorphism between 1

the vector space H and the vector space of tangent vectors in M at (x). Thus, we can (and frequently shall) ignore the distinction between vectors at x B lying in H and vectors at p = (x) M . Note that all this depends on a particular choice of horizontal subspace H . We shall normally use Latin indices to label tangent vectors in M , e.g., as v a . Let B M and B M be two bre bundles (with the same base space M ). A bundleomorphism from the rst to the second is a dieomorphism B B such that = . For example: Not every bre bundle is bundleomorphic to a product bundle. Let B M be a bre bundle. A cross-section of this bundle is a map M B such that is the identity mapping on M , i.e., such that, for each point p of M , (p) is a point of the bre over p. Thus, the image of M under forms a submanifold of B (which we also sometimes refer to as the cross-section). [We also have, similarly, the notion of a cross-section over a submanifold S of M .] For example, for a cross-section of a bundle, and x = (p) a point of that cross-section, the collection of all tangent vectors in B that are tangent to this cross-section at x form a horizontal subspace at x. In the case of a product bundle, for example, every cross-section, , is given as follows. Choose any map M F , and then set (p) = (p, (p)). Let R B be a curve in B . The drop of is the curve R M in M . Given a curve in M , by a lift of we mean a curve in B whose drop is . Every curve in M has a lift, and (except for the case of zero-dimensional bres) the lifts are never unique. For example, given a curve in M , and a cross-section, , of the bundle, then there exists one and only one lift of such that the lifted curve lies within the cross-section, namely that given by . Let B M be a bre bundle. A connection on this bundle is a (smooth) mapping that assigns to each point x B a horizontal subspace at x. Every bre bundle admits some connection and in general there are many. Now x, on this bundle, some particular connection, . Fix also a point x of B . Then (x) is a horizontal subspace at x. We call a tangent vector in B at x horizontal (with respect to ) if it lies in this subspace. Now, every tangent vector in B at x can be written uniquely as the sum of a vertical vector at x and a horizontal vector (with respect to ) at x. But the horizontal vectors at x are associated, via , with tangent vectors in M at p = (x). Thus, once a connection has been xed, we need no longer deal with tangent 2

vectors in B at x B : Instead we may deal with vertical vectors at x together with tangent vectors in M at (x). Let B M be a bre bundle, and x a connection, , on this bundle. A curve in B is called horizontal (with respect to ) provided its tangent vector is, at each point of the curve, horizontal (with respect to ). Now let be any curve in M , and x any point of the bre over p = (0). Then there exists one and only one horizontal lift, , of such that (0) = x. Next, x the bre bundle, B M , a connection on this bundle, a curve in the base space M , and any two points, say p = (0) and q = (1), of this curve. Now, given any point x of the bre over p, we can lift our curve to the bundle, with that bre-point x as the initial point, as in the paragraph above. Then that lifted curve, evaluated at parameter-value one, will be some point of the bre over q . Repeating this process, for various choices of the point x of the bre over p, we obtain a mapping from the bre over p to the bre over q . This map is clearly a dieomorphism of bres (and, indeed, its inverse is the map you get by reversing the argument, starting from q and getting to p). And, if the connection preserves some structure on the bres, then this map also preserves that structure. This operation is called parallel transport (along the curve , with respect to the connection ). Clearly, parallel transport depends on the curve . Fix a bre bundle B M , a connection on this bundle, and a point p of the base space M . Consider any closed curve in M , beginning and ending at p. Then parallel transport along this curve gives a mapping from the bre over p to the bre over p. Taking the limit of a small closed curve, this mapping degenerates into a tangent vector eld on the bre over p. Thus, we obtain a tensor R bc , where the index is a vertical direction (the value of the tangent vector eld), and the (antisymmetric) pair of indices b, c label the limiting small loop. This R bc , a eld on the bundle space B , is called the curvature of the connection . For example, if our bundle is a product bundle, and the connection is the natural family of horizontal subspaces in this bundle, then the curvature of that connection vanishes. Finally, let B M be a bre bundle, a connection on this bundle and a cross-section of this bundle. Fix also a point p of the base space M , and consider the corresponding point, (p), of the bre over p. Now, there are two natural horizontal subspaces at (p), namely i) the horizontal subspace that comes from the connection , and ii) the tangent space to the crosssection at (p). Thus, given a tangent vector v a in M at p, we have two lifts 3

of v . So, lift v in these two ways, and take the dierence. The result will be a vertical vector and clearly this vertical vector will be linear in v . We write it as () a v a , thus dening an object () a . This () a , called the derivative of the cross-section (at p) is a tensor at the point (p) of the bre over p. The index lives in the space of vertical vectors at (p); the index a in the manifold M at p. We may repeat this construction at each point p of M , resulting in a eld () a over M . We may, if we wish, think of this eld in the following way. Introduce the bundle over M obtained as the tensor product of the bundle of vertical vectors at points of M and the covector bundle of M . Then () a is a cross-section of this new bundle. [The general idea is that a eld usually turns out to be merely a cross-section of some appropriate bundle.] In short, in the presence of a connection one can take the derivative of a cross-section. I leave it to you to unravel the meaning of the following formula: (()) [bc] = (1/2)Rbc . (1)