nLab Steenrod approximation theorem

Contents

Context

Differential geometry

synthetic differential geometry

Introductions

from point-set topology to differentiable manifolds

geometry of physics: coordinate systems, smooth spaces, manifolds, smooth homotopy types, supergeometry

Differentials

V-manifolds

smooth space

Tangency

The magic algebraic facts

Theorems

Axiomatics

cohesion

infinitesimal cohesion

tangent cohesion

differential cohesion

graded differential cohesion

singular cohesion

id id fermionic bosonic bosonic Rh rheonomic reduced infinitesimal infinitesimal & étale cohesive ʃ discrete discrete continuous * \array{ && id &\dashv& id \\ && \vee && \vee \\ &\stackrel{fermionic}{}& \rightrightarrows &\dashv& \rightsquigarrow & \stackrel{bosonic}{} \\ && \bot && \bot \\ &\stackrel{bosonic}{} & \rightsquigarrow &\dashv& \mathrm{R}\!\!\mathrm{h} & \stackrel{rheonomic}{} \\ && \vee && \vee \\ &\stackrel{reduced}{} & \Re &\dashv& \Im & \stackrel{infinitesimal}{} \\ && \bot && \bot \\ &\stackrel{infinitesimal}{}& \Im &\dashv& \& & \stackrel{\text{étale}}{} \\ && \vee && \vee \\ &\stackrel{cohesive}{}& \esh &\dashv& \flat & \stackrel{discrete}{} \\ && \bot && \bot \\ &\stackrel{discrete}{}& \flat &\dashv& \sharp & \stackrel{continuous}{} \\ && \vee && \vee \\ && \emptyset &\dashv& \ast }

Models

Lie theory, ∞-Lie theory

differential equations, variational calculus

Chern-Weil theory, ∞-Chern-Weil theory

Cartan geometry (super, higher)

Contents

Idea

The Steenrod-approximation theorem states mild conditions under which an extension of a smooth function on a closed subset by a continuous function may itself be improved to an extension by a smooth function.

This is a smooth enhancement of the Tietze extension theorem.

Statement

Theorem

Let XX be a finite dimensional connected smooth manifold with corners. Let π:EX\pi : E \to X be a locally trivial smooth bundle with a locally convex manifold NN as typical fiber and σ:XE\sigma : X \to E a continuous section.

If LXL \subset X is a closed subset and UXU \subset X is an open subset such that σ\sigma is smooth in a neighbourhood of LUL \setminus U, then:

  1. for each open neighbourhood OO of σ(X)\sigma(X) in EE there exists a section τ:XO\tau : X \to O

    • which is smooth in a neighbourhood of LL;

    • and which equals σ\sigma on XUX \setminus U;

  2. there exists a homotopy F:[0,1]×XOF : [0,1] \times X \to O between σ\sigma and τ\tau such that

    • each F(t,)F(t,-) is a section of π\pi;

    • for (t,x)[0,1]×(XU)(t,x) \in [0,1] \times (X \setminus U) we have F(t,x)=σ(x)=τ(x)F(t,x) = \sigma(x) = \tau(x).

See (Wockel)

O id O id O smooth σ| XU= τ| XU σ F τ smooth LU XU X id X L \array{ && O &\stackrel{id}{\to} & O & \stackrel{id}{\to}& O \\ & {}^{\mathllap{smooth}}\nearrow & {}_{\mathllap{\sigma|_{X \setminus U}}}\uparrow = \uparrow_{\mathrlap{\tau|_{X \setminus U}}} && \uparrow^{\mathrlap{\sigma}} & \swArrow_F& \uparrow^{\exists \tau} & \nwarrow^{\mathrlap{smooth}} \\ L \setminus U &\hookrightarrow & X \setminus U &\hookrightarrow& X &\stackrel{id}{\to}& X &\stackrel{}{\hookleftarrow}& L }

Examples

Smoothing of delayed homotopies

Corollary

Let f,g:ZYf,g : Z \to Y be two smooth functions between smooth manifolds. Let η:Z×[0,1]Y\eta : Z \times [0,1] \to Y be a continuous delayed homotopy between them, constant in a neighbourhood Z×([0,ϵ)(1ϵ,1])Z \times ([0,\epsilon) \coprod (1-\epsilon,1]).

Then there exists also smooth homotopy between ff and gg which is itself continuously homotopic to η\eta.

Proof

To apply the generalized Steenrod theorem with the notation as stated there, make the following identifications

  • set XZ×[0,1]X \coloneqq Z \times [0,1];

  • set N=YN = Y;

  • let E=Z×[0,1]×YE = Z \times [0,1] \times Y be the trivial ZZ-bundle over XX

    (so that sections of EE are equivalently functions Z×[0,1]YZ \times[0,1] \to Y)

  • let (σ:XE):=(η:Z×[0,1]Y)(\sigma : X \to E) := (\eta : Z \times [0,1] \to Y) be the given continuous homotopy;

  • set LZ×[0,1]L \coloneqq Z \times [0,1];

  • let UZ×(0,1)U \coloneqq Z \times (0,1).

Then because by assumption η\eta is a continuous delayed homotopy between smooth functions, it follows that σ\sigma is smooth in a neighbourhood Z×([0,ϵ)(1ϵ,1])Z \times ([0,\epsilon) \coprod (1-\epsilon,1]) of LL.

So the theorem applies and provides a smooth homotopy

τ:[0,1]×ZY \tau \colon [0,1] \times Z \to Y

which moroever is itself (continuously) homotopic to η\eta via some continuous F:[0,1]×[0,1]×ZYF : [0,1] \times [0,1] \times Z \to Y.

References

Last revised on February 3, 2024 at 04:09:16. See the history of this page for a list of all contributions to it.