English

Discretising differential geometry via a new product on the space of chains

High Energy Physics - Theory 2007-05-23 v1

Abstract

A discretisation of differential geometry using the Whitney forms of algebraic topology is consistently extended via the introduction of a pairing on the space of chains. This pairing of chains enables us to give a definition of the discrete interior product and thus provides a solution to a notorious puzzle in discretisation techniques. Further prescriptions are made to introduce metric data, as a discrete substitute for the continuum vielbein, or Cartan formulation. The original topological data of the de Rham complex is then recovered as a discrete version of the Pontryagin class, a sketch of a few examples of the technique is also provided. A map of discrete differential geometry into the non-commutative geometry of graphs is constructed which shows in a precise way the difference between them.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.hep-th/0610065,
  title  = {Discretising differential geometry via a new product on the space of chains},
  author = {Vivien de Beauce and Siddhartha Sen},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:hep-th/0610065},
  year   = {2007}
}

Comments

39 pages, 2 figures, LOR2006