In mathematics, and especially differential topology, functional analysis and singularity theory, the Whitney topologies are a countably infinite family of topologies defined on the set of smooth mappings between two smooth manifolds. They are named after the American mathematician Hassler Whitney.
Construction
Let M and N be two real, smooth manifolds. Furthermore, let C(M,N) denote the space of smooth mappings between M and N. The notation C means that the mappings are infinitely differentiable, i.e. partial derivatives of all orders exist and are continuous.
Whitney C-topology
For some integer k ≥ 0, let J(M,N) denote the k-jet space of mappings between M and N. The jet space can be endowed with a smooth structure (i.e. a structure as a C manifold) which make it into a topological space. This topology is used to define a topology on C(M,N).
For a fixed integer k ≥ 0 consider an open subset U ⊂ J(M,N), and denote by S(U) the following:
The sets S(U) form a basis for the Whitney C-topology on C(M,N).
Whitney C-topology
For each choice of k ≥ 0, the Whitney C-topology gives a topology for C(M,N); in other words the Whitney C-topology tells us which subsets of C(M,N) are open sets. Let us denote by W the set of open subsets of C(M,N) with respect to the Whitney C-topology. Then the Whitney C-topology is defined to be the topology whose basis is given by W, where:
Dimensionality
Notice that C(M,N) has infinite dimension, whereas J(M,N) has finite dimension. In fact, J(M,N) is a real, finite-dimensional manifold. To see this, let ℝ denote the space of polynomials, with real coefficients, in m variables of order at most k and with zero as the constant term. This is a real vector space with dimension
Writing a = dim{ℝ} then, by the standard theory of vector spaces ℝ ≅ ℝ, and so is a real, finite-dimensional manifold. Next, define:
Using b to denote the dimension Bm,n, we see that Bm,n ≅ ℝ, and so is a real, finite-dimensional manifold.
In fact, if M and N have dimension m and n respectively then:
Topology
Given the Whitney C-topology, the space C(M,N) is a Baire space, i.e. every residual set is dense.
References
- Golubitsky, M.; Guillemin, V. (1974), Stable Mappings and Their Singularities, Springer, p. 1, ISBN 0-387-90072-1
- ^ Golubitsky & Guillemin (1974), p. 42.
- Golubitsky & Guillemin (1974), p. 40.
- Golubitsky & Guillemin (1974), p. 44.