Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2017 / iii / Paper 115 / 3

An orientation of a smooth $n$-dimensional manifold can be specified by a nowhere-vanishing smooth $n$-form $\omega$: an ordered tangent basis is positive precisely when $\omega$ evaluates positively on it. Multiplication by a positive smooth function preserves the orientation. This is the differential-form formulation of the equivalent formulations of orientability of a smooth manifold.

Use the standard convention that the compact connected manifold is nonempty and has no boundary. Choose a positive volume form $\omega$ for its orientation. It is a closed differential form, because there are no nonzero $(n+1)$-forms. For $n>0$, compactness makes its integral finite, and positivity on a coordinate neighborhood together with nonnegativity elsewhere givesIf $\omega =d\eta$, the Generalized Stokes theorem would give ${\int }_M\omega ={\int }_{\partial M}\eta =0$, a contradiction. ThereforeFor $n=0$, a nonempty connected manifold is a point, and $H_{\mathrm{dR}}^0(M)=\mathbb{R}$ directly. The boundary hypothesis matters: a closed interval is an oriented compact connected manifold with boundary with $H_{\mathrm{dR}}^1=0$. Thus the result is about ordinary boundaryless manifolds, not an unrestricted version including boundary.

Pullback of a differential form commutes with the exterior derivative, so $f^{\ast }$ gives a linear map on de Rham cohomology. Functoriality and $f\circ f=\mathrm{id}$ imply $(f^{\ast }{)}^2=I$. Over the real numbers, define the complementary projectionsThey obey $P_{\pm }^2=P_{\pm }$, $P_{+}{P}_{-}=0$ and $P_{+}+P_{-}=I$. Every cohomology class therefore decomposes asThe first term is fixed and the second negated by $f^{\ast }$. Their intersection is zero, since a class in both equals its own negative. ConsequentlyThis is the eigenspace decomposition of a linear involution. The factor $1/2$ uses the real coefficient field; a corresponding argument over characteristic two would fail. At the level of differential forms, the same averaging projections give representatives of either parity whenever the class has that parity.

First work at the level of differential forms. The fiber description implies $\pi \circ f=\pi$, so every pullback ${\pi }^{\ast }\beta$ is $f$-invariant. Since $\pi$ is a surjective local diffeomorphism, its pullback on forms is injective: at any $y\in N$, choose a lift $x$ and use the inverse of $d{\pi }_x$ to evaluate the form on arbitrary tangent vectors at $y$.

Conversely let $\alpha$ be an $f$-invariant form on $M$. For a local inverse $s:V\to M$ of $\pi$, define $\beta {|}_V=s^{\ast }\alpha$. If two inverses select the same lift they agree locally; if they select different lifts, the fiber condition identifies the second with $f$ composed with the first. Locally these alternatives are stable, using disjoint inverse neighborhoods at distinct lifts. The equality $f^{\ast }\alpha =\alpha$ therefore makes the local definitions agree. They glue to a unique smooth form $\beta$ on $N$ with ${\pi }^{\ast }\beta =\alpha$. Thusis an isomorphism of complexes, with the exterior derivative on both sides.

It remains to compare the cohomology of the invariant complex with invariant de Rham cohomology classes. Put $P=(I+f^{\ast })/2$ on forms. If $f^{\ast }[\alpha ]=[\alpha ]$ and $d\alpha =0$, then $P\alpha$ is invariant, closed and represents the same class, because its class is the average of two equal classes. If an invariant form is exact, $\alpha =d\eta$, then $\alpha =d(P\eta )$ with an invariant primitive. This proves both surjectivity and injectivity on cohomology. For $p=0$ there are no negative-degree primitives, and the same conclusion follows directly from closed functions.

Combining the two steps givesThis is the de Rham cohomology of a finite quotient argument specialized to an involution. It does not require orientation. The hypotheses do not explicitly exclude $f=\mathrm{id}$; then all fibers are singletons, $\pi$ is a bijective local diffeomorphism and the conclusion is the ordinary diffeomorphism invariance. If $f$ has one fixed point, local injectivity of $\pi$ makes its fixed set open as well as closed; connectedness of $M$ forces this identity case. Otherwise the fibers have two points and $\pi$ is the usual double covering.

Use the double covering map $\pi :S^n\to {\mathbb{RP}}^n$ and its deck involution, the antipodal map $a(x)=-x$. The given sphere cohomology vanishes outside degrees $0,n$, so only those degrees can survive as invariant classes. The degree-zero action is the identity because the sphere is connected for $n\ge 1$.

For the top degree, orient $S^n$ as the boundary of the unit ball. A positive tangent basis $(v_1,\dots ,v_n)$ at $x$ means that $(x,v_1,\dots ,v_n)$ has positive determinant in ${\mathbb{R}}^{n+1}$. Under the antipodal map every one of these $n+1$ vectors changes sign, so the orientation sign is $(-1{)}^{n+1}$. Equivalently, the sphere volume form isIts cohomology class is nonzero by the integral argument and therefore generates the one-dimensional top de Rham cohomology. Thus the top class is invariant precisely when $n$ is an odd integer. Applying the quotient result yieldsIn particular ${\mathbb{RP}}^1$ has one copy of $\mathbb{R}$ in each of degrees zero and one. These are real cohomology groups; integral torsion is not detected by de Rham cohomology.