Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2012 / iii / Paper 17 / 2

The space of smooth differential forms of degree $p$ isThus a form assigns smoothly to each point an alternating $p$-linear function on its tangent space. Here ${\Omega }^0(M)=C^{\infty }(M)$, and forms of degree greater than $\dim M$ vanish. The wedge product of differential forms gives the graded exterior algebra of forms.

The exterior derivative is an $\mathbb{R}$-linear map of degree one satisfying the following axioms: $df(X)=X(f)$ for functions; for a $p$-form $\alpha$,and $d^2=0$. The sign is the graded Leibniz rule.

To construct it, write in a coordinate chartThis formula is linear, agrees with differentiation on functions and obeys the graded Leibniz rule. Its square vanishes because symmetric second partial derivatives are contracted against antisymmetric wedge products.

The construction is independent of the chart. For coordinates $y^j=y^j(x)$, the chain rule gives $d{y}^j={\sum }_i({\partial }_i{y}^j)d{x}^i$, and the coordinate formula gives $d(d{y}^j)=0$ by equality of mixed partial derivatives. Consequently, expressing a form as ${\sum }_I{b}_{I}d{y}^I$ and applying the $x$-coordinate formula gives exactly ${\sum }_{I}d{b}_I\wedge d{y}^I$, the $y$-coordinate formula. The local constructions agree on overlaps and therefore define a global exterior derivative.

For uniqueness, first derive locality from the axioms. If $\alpha$ vanishes near $p$, choose a smooth bump function $\chi$ supported in that neighborhood and equal to one near $p$. Then $\chi \alpha =0$, andimplies $(d\alpha {)}_p=0$. Thus the value depends only on the local germ of $\alpha$. Local coordinate functions can be extended using bump functions, so the same axioms apply to their germs. Since $d(d{x}^i)=d^2{x}^i=0$, the graded Leibniz rule forces precisely the coordinate formula above. The exterior derivative exists and is unique, as expressed by uniqueness of the exterior derivative from its axioms.

Write the differential one-form as $\omega ={\sum }_i{\omega }_{i}d{x}^i$, and the vector fields as $X=X^i{\partial }_i$, $Y=Y^i{\partial }_i$. The coordinate definition of the exterior derivative givesExpand the right side of the invariant formula:The last line is $\omega ([X,Y])$, by the coordinate formula for the Lie bracket of vector fields. Subtract it and interchange the two indices in the second sum. The remaining terms are exactly $d\omega (X,Y)$. ThereforeThis is the exterior derivative of a one-form evaluated on vector fields; it is valid in any frame, not just a commuting coordinate frame.

Define the pointwise representation of one-forms by vector-field functionals byIt is $\mathbb{R}$-linear, its value is a smooth function, and $X_p=0$ implies $\theta (\omega )(X)(p)=0$. Moreoverso it is a map of $C^{\infty }(M)$-modules. This is the properly typed scalar-multiplication property: the same symbol for a form and its associated functional is understood through $\theta$.

To construct its inverse, let $\alpha \in W$ and $v\in T_{p}M$. Choose a global smooth vector field $X$ with $X_p=v$; a local coordinate field multiplied by a smooth bump function supplies such an extension. SetThis is well-defined: if $X_p=Y_p$, then $X-Y$ vanishes at $p$, so $\alpha (X-Y)(p)=0$. Real linearity of $\alpha$ makes ${\omega }_p$ a covector. In fact the pointwise vanishing assumption also forcesbecause $(f-f(p))X$ vanishes at $p$. Thus $\alpha (fX)=f\alpha (X)$ for every smooth $f$, even though only real linearity was initially imposed.

It remains to prove smoothness, rather than assume continuity of an abstract linear map. Near a fixed point, choose global fields $E_1,\dots ,E_n$ equal to the coordinate basis on a smaller neighborhood, using a bump function equal to one there. On that neighborhood,All coefficients are smooth by the definition of $W$, so $\omega$ is a smooth differential one-form. The construction holds near every point, hence gives $\omega \in {\Omega }^1(M)$ with $\alpha (X)=\omega (X)$ globally.

Every tangent vector can be realized by a global field, so $\theta (\omega )=0$ forces $\omega =0$. The inverse just constructed gives surjectivity. The evaluation map is a natural $C^{\infty }(M)$-module isomorphism ${\Omega }^1(M)\cong W$. No auxiliary metric or connection was chosen.

Let $\omega ={\theta }^{-1}(\alpha )$. The preceding invariant formula for the exterior derivative identifies the expression in the question withIts vanishing for every pair of global vector fields is equivalent to $d\omega =0$: global fields with arbitrary prescribed tangent values are available by bump-function extension. Thus it is exactly the condition that $\omega$ be a closed differential one-form.

By definition, the first de Rham cohomology is closed one-forms modulo exact differential forms. The hypothesis $H_{\mathrm{dR}}^1(M)=0$ makes every closed one-form exact. Hence $d\omega =0$ gives a globally smooth function $g$ with $\omega =dg$, andConversely, if $\alpha (X)=X(g)$, thenby the definition of the Lie bracket of vector fields. Equivalently, $d(dg)=0$. The bracket compatibility condition is necessary and, when $H_{\mathrm{dR}}^1(M)=0$, sufficient for a global potential. The potential is unique up to a constant on each connected component, since the difference of two potentials has zero differential.