arXiv subjects

Chris Kottke

Publications and source records attributed to Chris Kottke.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Products of manifolds with fibered corners

Manifolds with fibered corners arise as resolutions of stratified spaces, in many body compactifications of vector spaces, moduli spaces, and other settings. We define a category of fibered corners manifolds which has products and transverse fiber products, generalizing both the resolutions of products of stratified spaces and many body products, which are special cases. The product in the fibered corners category is a resolution of the cartesian product by blow-up which we call the 'ordered product'. This ordered product is a natural product for wedge (aka incomplete edge) metrics and quasi-fibered boundary metrics, a class which includes QAC and QALE metrics.

math.DG↗

arXiv2022

Bigerbes

The bigerbes introduced here give a refinement of the notion of 2-gerbes, representing degree four integral cohomology classes of a space. Defined in terms of bisimplicial line bundles, bigerbes have a symmetry with respect to which they form 'bundle 2-gerbes' in two ways; this structure replaces higher associativity conditions. We provide natural examples, including a Brylinski-McLaughlin bigerbe associated to a principal G-bundle for a simply connected simple Lie group. This represents the first Pontryagin class of the bundle, and is the obstruction to the lifting problem on the associated principal bundle over the loop space to the structure group consisting of a central extension of the loop group; in particular, trivializations of this bigerbe for a spin manifold are in bijection with string structures on the original manifold. Other natural examples represent 'decomposable' 4-classes arising as cup products, a universal bigerbe on K(Z,4) involving its based double loop space, and the representation of any 4-class on a space by a bigerbe involving its free double loop space. The generalization to 'multigerbes' of arbitrary degree is also described.

math.AT↗

arXiv2021

Low energy limit for the resolvent of some fibered boundary operators

For certain Dirac operators $ð_ϕ$ associated to a fibered boundary metric $g_ϕ$, we provide a pseudodifferential characterization of the limiting behavior of $(ð_ϕ+kγ)^{-1}$ as $k\searrow 0$, where $γ$ is a self-adjoint operator anti-commuting with $ð_ϕ$ and whose square is the identity. This yields in particular a pseudodifferential characterization of the low energy limit of the resolvent of $ð_ϕ^2$, generalizing a result of Guillarmou and Sher about the low energy limit of the resolvent of the Hodge Laplacian of an asymptotically conical metric. As an application, we use our result to give a pseudodifferential characterization of the inverse of some suspended version of the operator $ð_ϕ$. One important ingredient in the proof of our main theorem is that the Dirac operator $ð_ϕ$ is Fredholm when acting on suitable weighted Sobolev spaces. This result has been known to experts for some time and we take this as an occasion to provide a complete explicit proof.

math.DG↗

arXiv2021

Quasi-fibered boundary pseudodifferential operators

We develop a pseudodifferential calculus for differential operators associated to quasi-fibered boundary metrics (QFB metrics), a class of metrics including the quasi-asymptotically conical metrics (QAC metrics) of Degeratu-Mazzeo and the quasi-asymptotically locally Euclidean metrics (QALE metrics) of Joyce. Introducing various principal symbols, we introduce the notion of fully elliptic QFB operators and show that those are Fredholm when acting on QFB Sobolev spaces. For QAC metrics, we also develop a pseudodifferential calculus for the conformally related class of Qb metrics. We use these calculi to construct a parametrix for the Hodge-deRham operator of certain QFB metrics, allowing us to show that it is Fredholm on suitable Sobolev spaces and that the space of $L^2$ harmonic forms is finite dimensional. Our parametrix is obtained by inverting certain model operators at infinity, inversions that we achieve in part through a fine understanding of the low energy limit of the resolvent of the Hodge-deRham operator. Our parametrix also implies that $L^2$ harmonic forms decay faster at infinity than an arbitrary $L^2$ form, the extra decay being quantified in terms of a small negative power of the distance function. This decay of $L^2$ harmonic forms is used in a companion paper to study the $L^2$ cohomology of some $QFB$ metrics.

math.DG↗

arXiv2021

$L^2$-cohomology of quasi-fibered boundary metrics

We develop new techniques to compute the weighted $L^2$-cohomology of quasi-fibered boundary metrics (QFB-metrics). Combined with the decay of $L^2$-harmonic forms obtained in a companion paper, this allows us to compute the reduced $L^2$-cohomology for various classes of QFB-metrics. Our results applies in particular to the Nakajima metric on the Hilbert scheme of $n$ points on $\mathbb{C}^2$, for which we can show that the Vafa-Witten conjecture holds. Using the compactification of the monopole moduli space announced by Fritzsch, the first author and Singer, we can also give a proof of the Sen conjecture for the monopole moduli space of magnetic charge 3.

math.DG↗

arXiv2018

Monopoles and the Sen Conjecture: Part I

We describe compactifications of the moduli spaces of SU(2) monopoles on R3 as manifolds with corners, with respect to which the hyperKaehler metrics admit asymptotic expansions up to each boundary face. The boundary faces encode monopoles of charge k decomposing into widely separated monopoles of lower charge, and the leading order asymptotic of the metric generalizes the one obtained by Gibbons, Manton and Bielawski in the case of complete decomposition into monopoles of unit charge. From the structure of the compactifications, we prove part of Sen's conjecture for the L2 cohomology of the strongly centered moduli spaces by adapting an argument of Segal and Selby.

math.DG↗

arXiv2018

Functorial compactification of linear spaces

We define compactifications of vector spaces which are functorial with respect to certain linear maps. These "many-body" compactifications are manifolds with corners, and the linear maps lift to b-maps in the sense of Melrose. We derive a simple criterion under which the lifted maps are in fact b-fibrations, and identify how these restrict to boundary hypersurfaces. This theory is an application of a general result on the iterated blow-up of cleanly intersecting submanifolds which extends related results in the literature.

math.DG↗

arXiv2015

Partial compactification of monopoles and metric asymptotics

We construct a partial compactification of the moduli space, M_k, of SU(2) magnetic monopoles on R^3, wherein monopoles of charge k decompose into widely separated 'monopole clusters' of lower charge going off to infinity at comparable rates. The hyperKahler metric on M_k has a complete asymptotic expansion up to the boundary, the leading term of which generalizes the asymptotic metric discovered by Bielawski, Gibbons and Manton in the case that each lower charge is 1.

math.DG↗

arXiv2015

Blow-up in manifolds with generalized corners

We construct a functor from the category of manifolds with generalized corners to the category of complexes of toric monoids, and for every `refinement' of the complex associated to a manifold, we show there is a unique `blow-up', i.e., a new manifold mapping to the original one, which satisfies a universal property and whose complex realizes the refinement. This was inspired in part by the work of Gillam and Molcho, though we work with manifolds with generalized corners, as developed by Joyce, which have embedded boundary faces, for which the appropriate objects (i.e., complexes of monoids) are simpler than they would be otherwise (i.e., monoidal spaces in the sense of Kato).

math.DG↗

arXiv2015

Loop-fusion cohomology and transgression

`Loop-fusion cohomology' is defined on the continuous loop space of a manifold in terms of \vCech cochains satisfying two multiplicative conditions with respect to the fusion and figure-of-eight products on loops. The main result is that these cohomology groups, with coefficients in an abelian group, are isomorphic to those of the manifold and the transgression homomorphism factors through the isomorphism.

math.AT↗

arXiv2014

A Callias-type index theorem with degenerate potentials

A generalization of Callias' index theorem for self adjoint Dirac operators with skew adjoint potentials on asymptotically conic manifolds is presented in which the potential term may have constant rank nullspace at infinity. The index obtained depends on the choice of a family of Fredholm extensions, though as in the classical version it depends only on the data at infinity.

math.DG↗

arXiv2014

Dimension of monopoles on asymptotically conic 3-manifolds

The virtual dimensions of both framed and unframed SU(2) magnetic monopoles on asymptotically conic 3-manifolds are obtained by computing the index of a Fredholm extension of the associated deformation complex. The unframed dimension coincides with the one obtained by Braam for conformally compact 3-manifolds. The computation follows from the application of a Callias-type index theorem.

math.DG↗

arXiv2013

Equivalence of string and fusion loop-spin structures

The importance of the fusion relation of loops was recognized in the context of spin structures on the loop space by Stolz and Teichner and further developed by Waldorf. On a spin manifold M the equivalence classes of `fusive' spin structures on the loop space LM, incorporating the fusion property, strong regularity and reparameterization-invariance, are shown to be in 1-1 correspondence with equivalence classes of string structures on M. The identification is through the affine space of `string' cohomology classes considered by Redden.

math.DG↗

arXiv2013

Generalized blow-up of corners and fiber products

Real blow-up, including inhomogeneous versions, of boundary faces of a manifold (with corners) is an important tool for resolving singularities, degeneracies and competing notions of homogeneity. These constructions are shown to be particular cases of `generalized boundary blow-up' in which a new manifold and blow-down map are constructed from, and conversely determine, combinatorial data at the boundary faces in the form of a refinement of the `basic monoidal complex' of the manifold. This data specifies which notion of homogeneity is realized at each of the boundary hypersurfaces in the blown-up space. As an application of this theory, the existence of fiber products is examined for the natural smooth maps in this context, the b-maps. Transversality of the b-differentials is shown to ensure that the set-theoretic fiber product of two maps is a `binomial variety'. Properties of these (extrinsically defined) spaces, which generalize manifolds but have mild singularities at the boundary, are investigated and a condition on the basic monoidal complex is found under which the variety has a smooth structure. Applied to b-maps this additional condition with transversality leads to a universal fiber product in the context of manifolds with corners. Under the transversality condition alone the fiber product is resolvable to a smooth manifold by generalized blow-up and then has a weaker form of the universal mapping property requiring blow-up of the domain.

math.GT↗

arXiv2010

Talbot Workshop 2010 Talk 2: K-Theory and Index Theory

These are notes from a talk at the 2010 Talbot Workshop on Twisted K-theory and Loop Groups. This particular talk is an overview of index theory from the point of view of topological K-theory. Assuming little background in analysis, but some familiarity with complex K-theory, the talk covers the (families) Atiyah-Singer index theorem from the point of view of Gysin maps for fibrations, and orientations for complex K-theory in terms of spin^c structures, Clifford algebras and Dirac operators. Higher index theory is also discussed, in terms of Cl_k modules and Cl_k-linear operators. It is meant to be a readable introduction to the subject, with references to the literature.

math.KT↗

arXiv2010

An index theorem of Callias type for pseudodifferential operators

We prove an index theorem for families of pseudodifferential operators generalizing those studied by C. Callias, N. Anghel and others. Specifically, we consider operators on a manifold with boundary equipped with an asymptotically conic (scattering) metric, which have the form D + i Φ, where D is elliptic pseudodifferential with Hermitian symbols, and Φis a Hermitian bundle endomorphism which is invertible at the boundary and commutes with the symbol of D there. The index of such operators is completely determined by the symbolic data over the boundary. We use the scattering calculus of R. Melrose in order to prove our results using methods of topological K-theory, and we devote special attention to the case in which D is a family of Dirac operators, in which case our theorem specializes to give families versions of the previously known index formulas.

math.KT↗

arXiv2007

Perturbation theory for anisotropic dielectric interfaces, and application to sub-pixel smoothing of discretized numerical methods

We derive a correct first-order perturbation theory in electromagnetism for cases where an interface between two anisotropic dielectric materials is slightly shifted. Most previous perturbative methods give incorrect results for this case, even to lowest order, because of the complicated discontinuous boundary conditions on the electric field at such an interface. Our final expression is simply a surface integral, over the material interface, of the continuous field components from the unperturbed structure. The derivation is based on a "localized" coordinate-transformation technique, which avoids both the problem of field discontinuities and the challenge of constructing an explicit coordinate transformation by taking a limit in which a coordinate perturbation is infinitesimally localized around the boundary. Not only is our result potentially useful in evaluating boundary perturbations, e.g. from fabrication imperfections, in highly anisotropic media such as many metamaterials, but it also has a direct application in numerical electromagnetism. In particular, we show how it leads to a sub-pixel smoothing scheme to ameliorate staircasing effects in discretized simulations of anisotropic media, in such a way as to greatly reduce the numerical errors compared to other proposed smoothing schemes.

physics.optics↗