Trace of vector-bundle curvature ($\alpha =\mathrm{tr}\Theta$)

The trace of the curvature form of a connection is a global closed differential form of degree two. Under a frame change $e^{\prime }=eg$, the connection matrix and curvature change by $A^{\prime }=g^{-1}Ag+g^{-1}dg$ and ${\Theta }^{\prime }=g^{-1}\Theta g$. Thus trace is independent of frame. The Bianchi identity gives $d\Theta =\Theta \wedge A-A\wedge \Theta$. Taking the trace cancels the two terms: one-forms commute with two-forms in the graded sense, and renaming the matrix indices gives equality of their traces. Locally $\mathrm{tr}\Theta =d\mathrm{tr}A$, since the trace of $A\wedge A$ vanishes by pairing its off-diagonal terms. It is the curvature of the determinant connection.