1 Circle bundles

Unless otherwise stated, we will be working in the category of smooth manifolds

with morphisms given by smooth maps.

1.1 The definition (almost)

In this section, ’bundle’ always stands for ’principal circle bundle’. A bundle consists
of two spaces P and B, known as the total space and the base space respectively,
and a map
π:P →B (1.1)
known as the projection. The total space P should admit a free action of the circle
group 
S 1 = U (1) = z ∈ C|z| = 1 ,

(1.2)
i.e. for each z ∈ U (1) there is a map

z : P → P. (1.3)

The projection π should be invariant under this action, in the sense that

π ◦ z = π. (1.4)

The space
Fb = π −1 (b) ⊂ P (1.5)
is called the fiber over b ∈ B. We see that U (1) acts freely within each fiber.
Remark: The base B could be quite general, but some choices of particular
importance for our purposes are:

• (A subspace of) Euclidean 3-space R3 , i.e. ’ordinary space’.

• A more general, compact or non-compact three-dimensional spatial manifold

M3 . Examples include T 3 , which amounts to ’periodic boundary conditions’
on various quantities in ordinary space, or S 3 , which can be seen as adding a
point at infinity to ordinary space. But also other 3-manifolds are of interest.

• Four-dimensional Minkowski space-time R1,3 = R × R3 .

• A more general four-dimensional space-time R × M3 .

• A compact or non-compact four-dimensional manifold M4 . This is of much

interest in mathematics, since four-manifold topology is so subtle. But it is
also useful in physics, where it amounts to treating space and (imaginary) time
on the same footing.

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1.2 Bundle maps, pullback bundles
A bundle map between two bundles specified by P, B, π and P 0 , B 0 , π 0 is a map

f : P → P0 (1.6)

which commutes with the action of U (1). Such a map must be an isomorphism
between the fibers, and it induces a map between the bases B and B 0 .
A bundle isomorphism is a bundle map f between bundles with the same base,
i.e. B = B 0 , and for which π 0 ◦ f = π.
A bundle automorphism is a bundle isomorphism f : P → P between a bundle
and itself.
Given a bundle π : P → B and a map f : B 0 → B, we can define the pullback
bundle f ∗ P → B 0 . Its total space f ∗ P consists of the set of pairs (b0 , p) ∈ B 0 × P
such that f (B 0 ) = π(P ). The projection is obvious.

1.3 (Local) triviality, local sections

The simplest example of a principal circle bundle over a given base B is obtained
by taking P = B × U (1), with the projection π given by the projection p1 on the
first factor. The U (1) action then amounts to the usual group multiplication law on
the second factor. This is called a trivial bundle or product bundle.
We can now complete the definition of a principal bundle: We will in fact always
require the bundle to be locally trivial, in the sense that for a suitable open cover
{Uα } of B, the bundle over each patch Uα is isomorphic to a trivial bundle with
total space Pα = Uα × U (1). There should thus exist local trivializations
'
ϕα = (π, φα ) : π −1 (Uα ) → Uα × U (1) (1.7)

commuting with the U (1) action.

A local section is a map
σα : Uα → P (1.8)
such that π ◦ σα = idUα .

1.4 Example
Take 
P = S 2n+1 = (z1 , . . . , zn+1 ) ∈ Cn+1 |z1 |2 + . . . + |zn+1 |2 = 1

(1.9)
and
B = CP n = (Cn+1 − {(0, . . . , 0)})/ ∼ (1.10)
where ∼ is the equivalence relation (z1 , . . . , zn+1 ) ∼ (λz1 , . . . , λzn+1 ) for λ ∈ C∗ =
C − {0}. The projection π sends each p ∈ P to its equivalence class [p] ∈ B. An
element z ∈ U (1) ⊂ C acts on P as

(z1 , . . . , zn+1 ) → (zz1 , . . . , zzn+1 ). (1.11)

This is called the tautological S 1 bundle over CP n .

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1.5 Transition functions
For a given trivialization ϕα = (π, φα ) : π −1 (Uα ) → Uα × U (1) (with respect to an
open cover {Uα } of B), we may define the transition functions

fαβ : Uα ∩ Uβ → U (1) (1.12)

by
φα = fαβ ◦ φβ . (1.13)
Obviously,
fαβ fβα = 1. (1.14)
Over a triple overlap Uα ∩ Uβ ∩ Uγ they fulfil the cocycle condition

fβγ fγα fαβ = 1. (1.15)

Conversely, a collection {fαβ } of transition functions relative to some open cover

{Uα } of B completely determines a bundle. E.g. the total space P is given as the
quotient of the disjoint union [
Uα × U (1) (1.16)
α

by the equivalence relation which identifies (b, g) ∈ Uα × U (1) with (b, fβα g) ∈
Uβ × U (1). The projection π is given by the projection on the first factors.
Let us now consider another trivialization
'
ϕ0α = (π, φ0α ) : π −1 (Uα ) → Uα × U (1) (1.17)

of the same bundle (and with respect to the same open covering of B). It is related
to the first trivialization as
φ0α = gα φα (1.18)
for some collection of functions

gα : Uα → U (1). (1.19)

The transition functions of the new trivialization is related to those of the original
trivialization as
0
fαβ = gα fαβ gβ−1 . (1.20)
The two collections of transition functions are equivalent in the sense that they
describe isomorphic bundles. The set of all isomorphism classes of bundles is thus
given by the set of all choices of transition functions fulfilling the above conditions
modulo this equivalence relation.

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1.6 Cech cohomology
This subsection is optional and not quite self-contained. Complete details can be
found in many standard references (Chern, Griffiths & Harris, Voisin,...)
It is convenient to use an additive notation for the group U (1), writing e.g.
fαβ = −fβα . A Cech p-cochain c with coefficients in U (1) is a collection {cα1 ...αp+1 }
of functions
cα1 ...αp+1 : Uα1 ∩ . . . ∩ Uαp+1 → U (1). (1.21)
In particular, the collections {gα } and {fαβ } can be regarded as defining a 0-cochain
g and 1-cochain f respectively. The coboundary operator δ sends a p-chain c to a
(p + 1)-chain δc defined by
p+1
X
(δc)α0 ...αp+1 = (−1)i cα0 ...α̂i ...αp+1 . (1.22)
i=0

(The hat denotes omission.) We say that a p-cochain is closed or exact if it belongs
to the kernel or image respectively of δ. Since δδ = 0, all exact cochains are closed,
and we may define the Cech cohomology group H p (B, U (1)) as the set of closed
p-cochains modulo exact cochains.
The cocycle condition on the transition functions reads δf = 0, and the relation-
ship between two alternative collections of transition functions is f 0 = f + δg. The
set of isomorphism classes of bundles can thus be identified with H 1 (B, U (1)). To
compute this group, we use the short exact sequence
i exp
1 → Z → R → U (1) → 1, (1.23)

where the second map is the inclusion, and the third map is x 7→ exp(2πix). (More
precisely, we should use the sheafs of functions with values in Z, R, and U (1) rather
than the above constant sheafs.) There is then an associated long exact sequence,
part of which reads

. . . → H 1 (B, R) → H 1 (B, U (1)) → H 2 (B, Z) → H 2 (B, R) → . . . . (1.24)

But the cohomology groups H 1 (B, R) and H 2 (B, R) are trivial. (This can be seen
by a partition of unity argument.) So it follows that H 1 (B, U (1)) ' H 2 (B, Z), and
there is a one-to-one correspondence between the isomorphism class of a bundle P
and an element c1 (P ) ∈ H 2 (B, Z) known as the (first) Chern class of the bundle.

1.7 Problems
1. Let π : P → B be a bundle over B. Show that its pullback π ∗ P by the
projection map π is a trivial bundle over P .

2. Show that a bundle π : P → B is trivial if and only if it admits a global

section, i.e. a map σ : B → P such that π ◦ σ = idB .

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3. Check that the tautological circle bundle over B = CP n indeed fulfills the
requirement of local triviality by choosing a suitable open cover of B and local
trivializations. Compute the transition functions for this choice.

4. Verify that the projection π of the tautological bundle over CP 1 ' S 2 is

equivalent to the Hopf map η : S 3 → S 2 , which sends (z1 , z2 ) ∈ S 3 ⊂ C2 to
(w, t) = (2z¯1 z2 , |z1 |2 − |z2 |2 ) ∈ S 2 ⊂ C × R ' R3 .

5. Compute the image of the the first Chern class of the Hopf bundle η : S 3 → S 2
under the isomorphism H 2 (S 2 , Z) ' Z.