Relative differential characters

There are two natural candidates for the group of relative Cheeger-Simons differential characters. The first directly extends the work of Cheeger and Simons and the second extends the description given by Hopkins and Singer of the Cheeger-Simons group as the homology of a certain cochain complex. We discuss both approaches and relate the two relative groups.

2010 Mathematics Subject Classification

Primary 53C07. Secondary 53C05.

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Published 1 January 2006