Many facets of cohomology: Differential complexes and structure-aware formulations

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Hu, Kaibo
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Hu, Kaibo
author_facet Hu, Kaibo
contents Complexes and cohomology, traditionally central to topology, have emerged as fundamental tools across applied mathematics and the sciences. This survey explores their roles in diverse areas, from partial differential equations and continuum mechanics to reformulations of the Einstein equations and network theory. Motivated by advances in compatible and structure-preserving discretisation such as Finite Element Exterior Calculus (FEEC), we examine how differential complexes encode critical properties such as existence, uniqueness, stability and rigidity of solutions to differential equations. We demonstrate that various fundamental concepts and models in solid and fluid mechanics are essentially formulated in terms of differential complexes.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_22813
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Many facets of cohomology: Differential complexes and structure-aware formulations
Hu, Kaibo
Numerical Analysis
Mathematical Physics
Analysis of PDEs
Differential Geometry
Complexes and cohomology, traditionally central to topology, have emerged as fundamental tools across applied mathematics and the sciences. This survey explores their roles in diverse areas, from partial differential equations and continuum mechanics to reformulations of the Einstein equations and network theory. Motivated by advances in compatible and structure-preserving discretisation such as Finite Element Exterior Calculus (FEEC), we examine how differential complexes encode critical properties such as existence, uniqueness, stability and rigidity of solutions to differential equations. We demonstrate that various fundamental concepts and models in solid and fluid mechanics are essentially formulated in terms of differential complexes.
title Many facets of cohomology: Differential complexes and structure-aware formulations
topic Numerical Analysis
Mathematical Physics
Analysis of PDEs
Differential Geometry
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.22813