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Pontryagin class

Idea

The Pontryagin classes are characteristic classes on the classifying space $B O(n)$ of the orthogonal group and, by pullback, on the base of any bundle with structural group the orthogonal group. The latter is where they were originally defined.

The analogs for the unitary group are the Chern classes.

Definition

The universal Pontryagin characteristic classes $P_k$ on the classifying space $B O(n)$ are, up to a sign, the pullbacks of the Chern classes $c_{2k}$ along the complexification inclusion

$$B O(n) \to B U(n) \,.$$

Properties

As generating universal characteristic classes

The torsion-free quotient of the cohomology ring $H^\bullet(B SO(2n+1), \mathbb{Z})$ is the polynomial ring on all Pontryagin classes $\{P_i\}_{i = 1}^n$. The torsion is generated by Bockstein images of $H^\bullet(BSO(2n+1);\mathbb{F}_2)$, which is generated by the Stiefel-Whitney classes.

The torsion-free quotient of the cohomology ring $H^\bullet(B SO(2n), \mathbb{Z})$ is the quotient of the polynomial ring on Pontryagin classes $P_i$ and the Euler class $\chi$ by the relation $\chi^2 = P_n$; again the torsion is generated by Bocksteins of monomials in the Stiefel–Whitney classes.

Further relation to Chern classes

Under the other canonical map

$$j \;\colon\; B U(n) \to BO(2n)$$

one has

$$j^\ast(P_k) = \sum_{a + b = 2 k} (-1)^{a+k} c_a c_b$$

and

$$j^\ast(\chi) = c_n \,.$$

Splitting principle and Chern roots

Under the inclusion

$$i \;\colon\; U(1)^n \hookrightarrow U(n) \to O(2n)$$

of the maximal torus one has that

$$(B i)^\ast(P_k) = \sigma_k(x_1, \cdots, x_n)^2$$

and

$$(B i)^\ast(\chi) = \sigma_n(x_1, \cdots, x_n)$$

where the $x_i \in H^\bullet(B U(1)^n, \mathbb{Z})$ are the “Chern roots”.

See at Chern class - Properties – Splitting principle and Chern roots and at splitting principle - Examples - Real vector bundles for more.

Chern-, Pontrjagin-, and Euler- characteristic forms

We spell out the formulas for the images under the Chern-Weil homomorphism of the Chern classes, Pontrjagin classes and Euler classes as characteristic forms over smooth manifolds.

Preliminaries

Let $X$ be a smooth manifold.

Write

(1)$$\Omega^{2\bullet}(X) \;\; \in \; CAlg_{\mathbb{R}}$$

for the commutative algebra over the real numbers of even-degree differential forms on $X$, under the wedge product of differential forms. This is naturally a graded commutative algebra, graded by form degree, but since we consider only forms in even degree it is actually a plain commutative algebra, too, after forgetting the grading.

Let $\mathfrak{g}$ be a semisimple Lie algebra (such as $\mathfrak{su}(d)$ or $\mathfrak{so}(d)$) with Lie algebra representation $V \,\in\, Rep_{\mathbb{C}}(\mathfrak{g})$ over the complex numbers of finite dimension $dim_{\mathbb{C}}(V) \,=\, n \,\in\, \mathbb{N}$ (for instance the adjoint representation or the fundamental representation), hence a homomorphism of Lie algebras

$$\mathfrak{g} \xrightarrow{\;\;\rho\;\;} End_{\mathbb{C}}(V)$$

to the linear endomorphism ring $End_{\mathbb{C}}(V)$, regarded here through its commutator as the endomorphism Lie algebra of $V$.

When regarded as an associative ring this is isomorphic to the matrix algebra of $n \times n$ square matrices

(2)$$End_{\mathbb{C}}(V) \;\; \simeq \;\; Mat_{n \times n}(\mathbb{C}) \,.$$

The tensor product of the $\mathbb{C}$-algebras (1) and (2)

is equivalently the $n \times n$ matrix algebra with coefficients in the complexification of even-degree differential forms:

$$\Omega^{2\bullet} \big(X\big) \otimes_{\mathbb{R}} End_{\mathbb{C}}(V) \;\simeq\; \Omega^{2\bullet}(X) \otimes_{\mathbb{R}} \big( Mat_{n \times n}( \mathbb{R} ) \big) \;\; \simeq \;\; Mat_{n \times n} \big( \Omega^{2\bullet}(X) \otimes_{\mathbb{R}} \mathbb{C} \big) \,.$$

The multiplicative unit

(3)$$I \;\in\; Mat_{n \times n} \big( \Omega^{2\bullet}(X) \otimes_{\mathbb{R}} \mathbb{C} \big)$$

in this algebra is the smooth function (differential 0-forms) which is constant on the $n \times n$ identity matrix and independent of $t$.

Given a connection on a $G$-principal bundle, we regard its $\mathfrak{g}$-valued curvature form as an element of this algebra

(4)$$F_\nabla \,\in\, \Omega^2(X) \otimes_{\mathbb{R}} \mathfrak{g} \xrightarrow{\; \rho \;} \Omega^2(X) \otimes_{\mathbb{R}} End_{\mathbb{C}}(V) \xhookrightarrow{\;\;\;} \Omega^{2\bullet}(X) \otimes_{\mathbb{R}} End_{\mathbb{C}}(V)[t] \;\simeq\; Mat_{n \times n} \Big( \mathbb{C} \otimes_{\mathbb{R}} \Omega^{2}(X) \Big) \,.$$

The formulas

Chern forms

The total Chern form $c(\nabla)$ is the determinant of the sum of the unit (3) with the curvature form (4), and its component in degree $2k$, for $k \in \mathbb{N}$, is the $k$th Chern form $c_k(\nabla)$:

$$c(\nabla) \;\; \coloneqq \;\; \sum_k \underset{ \mathclap{ deg = 2k } }{ \underbrace{ c_k(\nabla) } } \;\; \coloneqq \;\; det \left( I + t \frac{i F_\nabla}{2\pi} \right) \,.$$

By the relation between determinant and trace, this is equal to the exponential of the trace of the logarithm of $I + \frac{i F_\nabla}{2\pi}$, this being the exponential series in the trace of the Mercator series in $\frac{i F_\nabla}{2\pi}$:

(5)$$\begin{aligned} c(\nabla) & \;=\; det \left( I + t \frac{i F_\nabla}{2\pi} \right) \\ & \;=\; \exp \circ tr \circ ln \left( I + \frac{i F_\nabla}{2\pi} \right) \\ & \;=\; \exp \circ tr \left( - \underset {k \in \mathbb{N}_+} {\sum} \tfrac{1}{k} \left( \frac{F_\nabla}{2\pi i} \right)^k \right) \\ & \;=\; \exp \left( \underset {k \in \mathbb{N}_+} {\sum} \tfrac{1}{k} \left( \frac { - (-i)^k } {(2\pi)^k} tr\big( F_\nabla^{\wedge_k} \big) \right) \right) \\ & \;=\; 1 \\ & \phantom{\;=\;} + \phantom{\frac{1}{1}} \left( i \tfrac{ tr\big(F_\nabla\big) }{2 \pi} + \tfrac{1}{2} \tfrac{ tr\big( (F_\nabla)^{2} \big)}{(2 \pi)^2} -i \tfrac{1}{3} \tfrac{ tr\big( (F_\nabla)^{3} \big)}{(2 \pi)^3} - \tfrac{1}{4} \tfrac{ tr\big( (F_\nabla)^{4} \big)}{(2 \pi)^4} + \cdots \right) \\ & \phantom{\;=\;} + \frac{1}{2} \left( i \tfrac{ tr\big(F_\nabla\big) }{2 \pi} + \tfrac{1}{2} \tfrac{ tr\big( (F_\nabla)^{2} \big)}{(2 \pi)^2} -i \tfrac{1}{3} \tfrac{ tr\big( (F_\nabla)^{3} \big)}{(2 \pi)^3} - \tfrac{1}{4} \tfrac{ tr\big( (F_\nabla)^{4} \big)}{(2 \pi)^4} + \cdots \right)^2 \\ & \phantom{\;=\;} + \frac{1}{6} \left( i \tfrac{ tr\big(F_\nabla\big) }{2 \pi} + \tfrac{1}{2} \tfrac{ tr\big( (F_\nabla)^{2} \big)}{(2 \pi)^2} -i \tfrac{1}{3} \tfrac{ tr\big( (F_\nabla)^{3} \big)}{(2 \pi)^3} - \tfrac{1}{4} \tfrac{ tr\big( (F_\nabla)^{4} \big)}{(2 \pi)^4} + \cdots \right)^3 \\ & \phantom{\;=\;} + \frac{1}{24} \left( i \tfrac{ tr\big(F_\nabla\big) }{2 \pi} + \tfrac{1}{2} \tfrac{ tr\big( (F_\nabla)^{2} \big)}{(2 \pi)^2} -i \tfrac{1}{3} \tfrac{ tr\big( (F_\nabla)^{3} \big)}{(2 \pi)^3} - \tfrac{1}{4} \tfrac{ tr\big( (F_\nabla)^{4} \big)}{(2 \pi)^4} + \cdots \right)^4 \\ & \phantom{\;=\;} + \cdots \\ & \;=\; 1 \\ & \phantom{\;=\;} + i \frac { tr\big(F_\nabla\big) } { 2 \pi } \\ & \phantom{\;=\;} + \tfrac{1}{2} \frac { tr\big( (F_\nabla)^2 \big) } { (2 \pi)^2 } + \frac{1}{2} \left( i \frac { tr\big( F_\nabla \big) } { 2\pi } \right)^2 \\ & \phantom{\;=\;} - i \tfrac{1}{3} \frac { tr\big( (F_\nabla)^3 \big) } { (2 \pi)^3 } + \frac{1}{2} \left( 2 \left( i \frac { tr\big( F_\nabla \big) } { 2 \pi } \right) \left( \tfrac{1}{2} \frac { tr\big( (F_\nabla)^2 \big) } { (2 \pi)^2 } \right) \right) + \frac{1}{6} \left( \left( i \frac { tr\big(F_\nabla\big) } { 2\pi } \right)^3 \right) \\ & \phantom{\;=\;} - \tfrac{1}{4} \frac {tr\big( (F_\nabla)^4 \big)} { (2 \pi)^4 } + \frac{1}{2} \left( \tfrac{1}{2} \frac {tr\big( (F_\nabla)^2 \big)} { (2 \pi)^2 } \right)^2 + \frac{1}{24} \left( i \frac {tr\big( F_\nabla \big)} { 2\pi } \right)^4 \\ & \phantom{\;=\;} + \cdots \\ & \;=\; 1 \\ & \phantom{\;=\;} + \underset{ \color{blue} = c_1(\nabla) }{ \underbrace{ i \frac { tr\big(F_\nabla\big) } { 2 \pi } }} \\ & \phantom{\;=\;} + \underset{ \color{blue} = c_2(\nabla) }{ \underbrace{ \frac {\tr\big( (F_\nabla)^2 \big) - \big( tr(F_\nabla) \big)^2 } { 8 \pi^2 } }} \\ & \phantom{\;=\;} + \underset{ \color{blue} = c_3(\nabla) }{ \underbrace{ i \frac { - 2 \cdot tr\big( (F_\nabla)^3 \big) + 3 \cdot tr(F_\nabla) \cdot tr\big( (F_\nabla)^2 \big) - \big( tr(F_\nabla ) \big)^3 } {48 \pi^3} }} \\ & \phantom{\;=\;} + \underset{ \color{blue} = c_4(\nabla) }{ \underbrace{ \frac { -6 \cdot tr\big( (F_\nabla)^4 \big) + 3 \cdot tr\big( (F_\nabla)^2 \big)^2 + \big( tr(F_\nabla) \big)^4 } {384 \pi^4} }} \\ & \phantom{\;=\;} + \cdots \end{aligned}$$

Pontrjagin forms

Setting $tr(F_\nabla) = 0$ in these expressions (5) yields the total Pontrjagin form $p(\nabla)$ with degree=$4k$-components the Pontrjagin forms $p_{k}(\nabla)$:

$$\begin{aligned} p(\nabla) & \;\coloneqq\; \underset{k \in \mathbb{N}}{\sum} \underset{ deg = 4k }{ \underbrace{ (-1)^{k} p_{k}(\nabla) } } \\ & \;=\; \underset{k \in \mathbb{N}}{\sum} \underset{ deg = 4k }{ \underbrace{ c_{2k}(\nabla) } } \\ & \;=\; 1 \\ & \phantom{\;=\;} + \underset{ \color{blue} = - p_1(\nabla) }{ \underbrace{ \frac {\tr\big( (F_\nabla)^2 \big) } { 8 \pi^2 } }} \\ & \phantom{\;=\;} + \underset{ \color{blue} = p_2(\nabla) }{ \underbrace{ \frac { - 2 \cdot tr\big( (F_\nabla)^4 \big) + tr\big( (F_\nabla)^2 \big)^2 } {128 \pi^4} }} \\ \phantom{\;=\;} + \cdots \end{aligned}$$

Hence the first couple of Pontrjagin forms are

$$\begin{aligned} p_1(\nabla) & \;=\; - \frac {\tr\big( (F_\nabla)^2 \big) } { 8 \pi^2 } \\ p_2(\nabla) & \;=\; \frac { tr\big( (F_\nabla)^2 \big)^2 - 2 \cdot tr\big( (F_\nabla)^4 \big) } {128 \pi^4} \,. \end{aligned}$$

(See also, e.g., Nakahara 2003, Exp. 11.5)

Euler forms

For $n = 2k$ and with the curvature form again regarded as a 2-form valued $(2k) \times (2k)$-square matrix

$$F_{\nabla} \;=\; \big( (F_{\nabla})^a{}_b \big)_{1 \leq a,b, \leq 2k}$$

the Euler form is its Pfaffian of this matrix, hence the following sum over permutations $\sigma \in Sym(2k)$ with summands signed by the the signature $sgn(\sigma) \in \{\pm 1\}$:

$$\chi_{2k}(\nabla) \;=\; \frac {(-1)^k} { (4 \pi)^k \cdot k! } \underset{\sigma}{\sum} sgn(\sigma) \cdot (F_{\nabla})_{\sigma(1)\sigma(2)} \wedge (F_{\nabla})_{\sigma(3)\sigma(4)} \wedge \cdots \wedge (F_{\nabla})_{\sigma(2k-1)\sigma(2k)} \,.$$

The first of these is, using the Einstein summation convention and the Levi-Civita symbol:

$$\chi_4(\nabla) \;=\; \frac { \epsilon^{ a b c d} (F_{\nabla})_{a b} \wedge (F_\nabla)_{c d} } {32 \pi^2}$$

(See also, e.g., Nakahara 2003, Exp. 11.7)

Trivializations and structures

The twisted differential c-structures corresponding to Pontryagin class include

• twisted differential string structure for the first fractional Pontryagin class $\frac{p_1}{2} : B Spin \to B^3 U(1)$;

• twisted differential fivebrane structure for the second fractional Pontryagin class $\frac{1}{6}p_2 : B String \to B^7 U(1)$.

Related concepts

• Pontrjagin character

• p1-structure, string structure, fivebrane structure

• shifted C-field flux quantization

• Stiefel-Whitney class, Wu class, one-loop anomaly polynomial I8

• Chern class

• Stiefel-Whitney class

• Chern character

• orthogonal calculus

• quaternionic oriented cohomology theory

References

General

Original accounts:

• Friedrich Hirzebruch, Chapter 1, Section 4 of: Neue topologische Methoden in der Algebraischen Geometrie, Ergebnisse der Mathematik und Ihrer Grenzgebiete. 1. Folge, Springer 1956 (doi:10.1007/978-3-662-41083-7)

Classical textbook references are

• Shoshichi Kobayashi, Katsumi Nomizu, Section XII.4 in: Foundations of Differential Geometry, Volume 1, Wiley 1963 (web, ISBN:9780471157335, Wikipedia)

• John Milnor, Jim Stasheff, Characteristic classes, Princeton Univ. Press 1974 (ISBN:9780691081229, doi:10.1515/9781400881826, pdf)

• Werner Greub, Stephen Halperin, Ray Vanstone, Connections, Curvature, and Cohomology Academic Press (1973)

With an eye towards mathematical physics:

• Mikio Nakahara, Section 11.4.1 of: Geometry, Topology and Physics, IOP 2003 (doi:10.1201/9781315275826, pdf)

• Gerd Rudolph, Matthias Schmidt, around Def. 4.2.19 in: Differential Geometry and Mathematical Physics: Part II. Fibre Bundles, Topology and Gauge Fields, Theoretical and Mathematical Physics series, Springer 2017 (doi:10.1007/978-94-024-0959-8)

See also

• Paul Bressler, The first Pontryagin class, math.AT/0509563

• Ivan Panin, Charles Walter, Quaternionic Grassmannians and Pontryagin classes in algebraic geometry, arxiv/1011.0649

A brief introduction is in chapter 23, section 7

• Peter May, A concise course in algebraic topology (pdf)

Relation to gravitational instantons

First Pontrjagin class as counting gravitational instanton number:

• Tohru Eguchi, Peter Freund, Quantum Gravity and World Topology, Phys. Rev. Lett. 37, 1251 (1967) (doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.37.1251)

• Alexander Belavin, D. Burlankov, The renormalisable theory of gravitation and the Einstein equations, Physics Letters A Volume 58, Issue 1, 26 July 1976, Pages 7-8 (doi:10.1016/0375-9601(76)90530-2)

• Serdar Nergiz, Cihan Saclioglum, equation (27) in: A Quasiperiodic Gibbons–Hawking Metric and Spacetime Foam, Phys. Rev. D 53, 2240 (1996) (arXiv:hep-th/9505141)