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For the nonnegative Hodge Laplacian convention $\Delta f=-\mathrm{div}\mathrm{grad}f$, a smooth function on a closed manifold with $\Delta f\ge 0$ has $\int \Delta f=0$ and hence $\Delta f=0$. Integration by parts gives $\int |df{|}^2=0$, so it is constant on each connected component. Global constancy requires connectedness; boundary conditions are needed if a boundary is allowed.

A harmonic one-form is a differential one-form $\alpha$ satisfying $\Delta \alpha =0$ for the Hodge Laplacian. On a closed manifold, the Hodge decomposition theorem identifies these forms with degree-one de Rham cohomology. The Bochner-Weitzenbock formula for one-forms implies that harmonic one-forms are parallel under nonnegative Ricci curvature.

Use the nonnegative Hodge-Laplacian convention from Question 4. The Bochner-Weitzenbock formula for one-forms isHere $\nabla$ is the Levi-Civita connection induced on the cotangent bundle, and the rough Laplacian in a local orthonormal frame isIt is the composition of covariant derivative with its formal adjoint. The Ricci endomorphism is defined by $g({\mathrm{Ric}}^{♯}X,Y)=\mathrm{Ric}(X,Y)$ and acts on one-forms by $(\mathrm{Ric}\cdot \alpha )(X)=\alpha ({\mathrm{Ric}}^{♯}X)$. The musical isomorphism defines ${\alpha }^{♯}$ by $g({\alpha }^{♯},X)=\alpha (X)$. The associated scalar formula isThese signs make the integrated rough-Laplacian term $\Vert \nabla \alpha {\Vert }^2$ on a closed manifold.

For a connected manifold, the full Riemannian holonomy group at $p$ is the subgroup of $O(T_{p}M,g_p)$ consisting of parallel transports around all piecewise smooth loops based at $p$. Its natural action on $T_{p}M$ is the holonomy representation; it induces actions on cotangent spaces and all tensor spaces. The holonomy representation is an irreducible representation when it has no nonzero proper invariant subspace.

The fundamental principle of Riemannian holonomy identifies parallel tensor fields with tensors at $p$ fixed by full holonomy. A parallel field returns to its value under every loop. Conversely, transport a fixed tensor along a path from $p$ to each point. Any two paths differ by a loop, so the result is independent of the path; local smooth parallel transport yields a smooth parallel field. Evaluation and construction are inverse. Full holonomy, not merely the contractible-loop subgroup, is required for this global correspondence.

On a compact manifold without boundary and with nonnegative Ricci curvature, a harmonic one-form satisfies the integrated Bochner identityBoth terms are nonnegative; therefore $\nabla \alpha =0$. This proves that harmonic one-forms are parallel under nonnegative Ricci curvature. Integration uses the Riemannian volume density and does not require an orientation.

If $n=\dim M\ge 2$, a nonzero such form would give a nonzero fixed tangent vector via metric duality and hence a proper invariant line, contradicting irreducibility. This is precisely the irreducible holonomy in dimension at least two has no parallel one-form criterion. Since the question permits harmonic representatives of all classes, it gives $b_1(M)=0$, where $b_1$ is the first Betti number.

The covering $\pi :X\times T^k\to M$ is finite: its fibre over a point is a closed discrete subset of the compact total space and hence finite. Use the explicitly permitted equality of the Betti numbers of $M$ and its finite cover, in particular $b_1(X\times T^k)=b_1(M)=0$. This equality is a permission of this question, not a general theorem about finite covers.

The $k$ angular one-forms on $T^k$, pulled back to $X\times T^k$, represent linearly independent de Rham classes: their periods on the $k$ coordinate circles are the standard basis vectors. exact differential forms have zero periods. Thus $b_1(X\times T^k)\ge k$, forcing $k=0$. Now $\pi :X\to M$ is a finite universal covering map because $X$ is simply connected. The fundamental group acts freely and transitively on a fibre, or equivalently loop-lifting identifies its elements with the finite set of possible endpoints upstairs. Consequently the intended conclusion isThe printed statement needs the dimension qualification under the usual definition of irreducibility. Take the standard circle $M=S^1$, with $X$ a point, $k=1$, and the identity covering $X\times T^1\to S^1$. Its Ricci curvature is zero. parallel transport fixes its global unit tangent, so its holonomy representation is the trivial representation on a one-dimensional real vector space, which is irreducible. The allowed Betti-number equality holds for this identity cover, yetThus there is no proof of the unqualified literal assertion in dimension one. If “irreducible holonomy” is instead intended to exclude the one-dimensional trivial representation, the preceding intended proof applies. A connected zero-dimensional manifold is a point and has trivial fundamental group.

For connected oriented closed manifolds of dimension $n$, the degree of a map between oriented manifolds is the integer determined bywhere the brackets are the chosen fundamental classes. Functoriality gives $\mathrm{deg}(g\circ f)=\mathrm{deg}g\mathrm{deg}f$.

Give $S^n$ its boundary orientation as the boundary of the unit ball in ${\mathbb{R}}^{n+1}$. The antipodal map is the restriction of $-I$. Its ambient determinant is $(-1{)}^{n+1}$, and it takes the outward normal at $x$ to the outward normal at $-x$. Thus its effect on the boundary orientation has this same sign, givingThe original PDF has $A:S^n\to S^n$, correcting the extra prime on the target in the TeX transcription.

For even dimension $n=2k\ge 2$, cellular homology of real projective space gives $H_n({\mathbb{RP}}^n;\mathbb{Z})=0$. Thus the composite map on top homology factors through zero, andZero is attained by constant maps.

For odd dimension $n=2k+1\ge 3$, Real projective space is orientable: the antipodal deck transformation has degree $+1$. Orient it so that the double covering map $q:S^n\to {\mathbb{RP}}^n$ has degree $2$. Since $S^n$ is simply connected, the lifting criterion for a covering space gives $f=q\circ \tilde{f}$ for a map $\tilde{f}:S^n\to S^n$. Hencewhich is even. Every even integer occurs: collapse the complement of an oriented embedded disk in ${\mathbb{RP}}^n$ to obtain a degree-one map $g:{\mathbb{RP}}^n\to S^n$, and choose $\tilde{f}$ of any prescribed integer degree $m$. Maps of all integer degrees on spheres are obtained, for example, by suspending the circle maps $z\mapsto z^m$. Setting $f=q\circ \tilde{f}$ gives degree $2m$. ThusThese are the degrees of maps factoring through real projective space. If $k=0$ is permitted in the odd-dimensional clause, there is an exception: ${\mathbb{RP}}^1\cong S^1$, so every integer degree occurs. The lifting argument requires dimension at least two. The initial connected-manifold degree definition excludes $S^0$; with the usual reduced-homology definition for self-maps of $S^0$, a factorization through the one-point ${\mathbb{RP}}^0$ has degree zero.

Finally suppose $\mathrm{deg}f=p$ is prime. Fix any prime $q\ne p$ and work over $F={\mathbb{F}}_q$. We claim that $f^{\ast }:H^r(N;F)\to H^r(S^n;F)$ is injective. If $a\ne 0$, Poincare duality supplies $b\in H^{n-r}(N;F)$ with $⟨a⌣b,[N{]}_F⟩\ne 0$. Naturality of the cup product and evaluation givesbecause $p$ is invertible in $F$. Hence $f^{\ast }a\ne 0$, proving cohomological injectivity of a map of invertible degree.

The intermediate cohomology of the sphere is zero, so $H^r(N;F)=0$ for $0<r<n$. Over a field, the universal coefficient theorem for cohomology identifies this with the dual of $H_r(N;F)$, so these homology groups vanish as well. The universal coefficient theorem for homology then givesEach integral group is a finitely generated abelian group, by the permitted finite CW complex model. Its decomposition can have no free summand, since that would survive modulo $q$, and no torsion summand divisible by any prime $q\ne p$. Thus it is a finite $p$-primary group. There are only finitely many intermediate degrees, so the exponents of their finite cyclic summands have a common bound $p^a$. Taking $a\ge 1$ also covers the case in which all the groups vanish. ThereforeThis proves that a prime-degree sphere map forces primary torsion, including one uniform exponent for all the degrees.

For a metric vector bundle connection over a Riemannian manifold, the rough Laplacian is the formally nonnegative connection operatorwhere $e_i$ is a local orthonormal frame. The correction term makes the expression independent of the orthonormal frame. On a closed manifold, integration by parts gives $⟨{\nabla }^{\ast }\nabla s,s{⟩}_{L^2}=\Vert \nabla s{\Vert }_{L^2}^2$.