Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2007/iii/paper-15/4/a/solution

For every oriented open set and nowhere-vanishing orientation form , let contain the points for which is the orientation determined by . These sets form a basis of a topology for the desired topology on the orientation double cover.
They cover the set of all pairs: every point has an oriented coordinate chart, and changing the sign of its orientation form gives the other orientation. To check the basis intersection axiom, consider and . On there is a unique smooth nonzero function with . Their intersection is the sheet over
Since is open, this intersection is , another basis set. Thus intersections are open without requiring the two local orientations to agree on every component of the overlap.
The restriction is bijective. Its inverse sends a relatively open set to the basis set , so the inverse is continuous. Conversely the projection of the intersection of with any other basis set is an open agreement set like , so the projection is continuous as well. Hence each sheet projects homeomorphically onto its oriented open set. In particular,
with both sheets open. This establishes the two-sheeted covering space structure.

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