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In mathematics, a vector bundle is a topological construction that makes precise the idea of a family of vector spaces parameterized by another space (for example could be a topological space, a manifold, or an algebraic variety): to every point of the space we associate (or "attach") a vector space () in such a way that these vector spaces fit ...
One example of a principal bundle is the frame bundle. If for each two points b 1 and b 2 in the base, the corresponding fibers p −1 (b 1) and p −1 (b 2) are vector spaces of the same dimension, then the bundle is a vector bundle if the appropriate conditions of local triviality are satisfied. The tangent bundle is an example of a vector ...
A simple example of a smooth fiber bundle is a Cartesian product of two manifolds. Consider the bundle B 1 := (M × N, pr 1) with bundle projection pr 1 : M × N → M : (x, y) → x. Applying the definition in the paragraph above to find the vertical bundle, we consider first a point (m,n) in M × N. Then the image of this point under pr 1 is m
In mathematics, a metric connection is a connection in a vector bundle E equipped with a bundle metric; that is, a metric for which the inner product of any two vectors will remain the same when those vectors are parallel transported along any curve. [1] This is equivalent to: A connection for which the covariant derivatives of the metric on E ...
Let E be a rank-k vector bundle over a smooth manifold M, and let ∇ be a connection on E. Given a piecewise smooth loop γ : [0,1] → M based at x in M, the connection defines a parallel transport map P γ : E x → E x on the fiber of E at x. This map is both linear and invertible, and so defines an element of the general linear group GL(E x).
A Koszul connection is a connection which defines directional derivative for sections of a vector bundle more general than the tangent bundle. Connections also lead to convenient formulations of geometric invariants , such as the curvature (see also curvature tensor and curvature form ), and torsion tensor .
Given a morphism : of vector bundles over the same space, there is a morphism : between their dual bundles (in the converse order), defined fibrewise as the transpose of each linear map : (). Accordingly, the dual bundle operation defines a contravariant functor from the category of vector bundles and their morphisms to itself.
As an example, for each topological space there is the category of vector bundles on the space, and for every continuous map from a topological space X to another topological space Y is associated the pullback functor taking bundles on Y to bundles on X. Fibred categories formalise the system consisting of these categories and inverse image ...