LECTURE 3

Exercise 19 (Alternative definition). Given Ωx ⊂ Rn open around x and F : Ωx → Y

smooth (in the usual sense) with f|Ωx ∩X = F|Ωx ∩X , we can define Dfx : Tx X → Tf (x) Y as
the restriction of DFx : Rn → Rm to the vector space Tx X. Prove that it coincides with the
previous definition (which proves in particular that (DFx )|Tx X is the same for all extensions).

2.3 Inverse function theorem on manifolds

Let us start with the inverse function theorem in Rn :

Theorem 20 (Revision from Analysis II). Given U ⊂ Rn open, x ∈ U and f : U → Rn

smooth so that Dfx : Rn → Rn invertible, then f is a local diffeomorphism around x: there
is Ũ ⊂ U open containing x so that f|Ũ : Ũ → f (Ũ ) diffeomorphism.

We now extend this fundamental result to manifolds:

Theorem 21 (Inverse function theorem for manifolds). Given X ⊂ Rn and Y ⊂ Rm smooth

manifolds and f : X → Y smooth so that Dfx : Tx X → Tf (x) Y invertible for some x ∈ X,
then f is a local diffeomorphism: there is Ux ⊂ X open in X around x so that f|Ux : Ux →
f (Ux ) is a diffeomorphism.

Proof. Note first that the hypothesis implies dim X = dim Tx X = dim Tf (x) Y = dim Y so
the manifolds have same dimension k. Consider then parametrisations ϕ around x and ψ
around f (x) and the corresponding transition map θ. Then, given that the parametrisations
have invertible differential and Dθ0 = (Dψ0 )−1 ◦ Dfx ◦ Dϕ0 , we deduce that Dθ0 : Rk → Rk
is invertible and the inverse function theorem in Rk implies that θ is a local diffeomorphism
around 0, which implies f = ψ◦θ◦ϕ−1 is a local diffeomorphism around x by composition.

2.4 Regular values and Sard theorem

So far we have extended concepts to manifolds, we now move on to some new concepts.

Definition 22. Given X and Y manifolds and f : X → Y a smooth map, we say that x ∈ X
is a critical point of f if Dfx : Tx X → Tf (x) Y is not surjective. Otherwise it is a regular
point. We write C ⊂ X for the set of critical points. A critical value is the image of the
critical point. All points that are not critical values are called regular values.

Remark 23. Note that the image of a regular point is not necessarily a regular value: indeed
all pre-image of a regular value need be regular points. Note also that values in Y \ f (X) are
regular according to this definition. Note finally that if dim X < dim Y , the differential Dfx
is never surjective and C = X. Then the only regular values are Y \ f (X).

Theorem 24 (Pre-image theorem). Given X and Y manifolds of dimensions k and ℓ re-

spectively, with k ≥ ℓ, f : X → Y a smooth map, and y ∈ Y a regular value of f in f (X),
then f −1 (y) is a submanifold of X of dimension dim f −1 (y) = dim X − dim Y .

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Proof. Let x ∈ f −1 (y) (it exists because we assume y ∈ f (X)). Since y is a regular value,
Dfx : Tx X → Tf (x) Y surjective. Let K = KerDfx . This is a subspace of Tx X with dimension
k − ℓ. Assume X ⊂ Rn and consider a linear map T : Rn → Rk−ℓ so that KerT ∩ K = {0}
in Rn (for instance one can choose T to be the identity on K and zero on K ⊥ ). Consider
then the map F : X → Y × Rk−ℓ defined by F (x) = (f (x), T (x)). It is smooth since each
component is, and the differential is DFx = (Dfx , T ) : Rk → Rℓ × Rk−ℓ (since T is linear,
DT = T ). The construction of T implies that DFx is injective so invertible, hence the inverse
function theorem implies that F is a local diffeomorphism around x. It maps a neighbourhood
U ⊂ X of x to a neighbourhood V ⊂ Y × Rk−ℓ of (y, T (x)). Therefore F −1 restricted to
V ∩ ({y} × Rk−ℓ ) provides a parametrisation of U ∩ f −1 (y), which shows that f −1 (y) is a
manifold of dimension k − ℓ.

Remark 25. Note that the previous proof shows in fact that at x ∈ Y := f −1 (y) we have
−1
Tx Y = KerDfx = K. Indeed F|V∩({y}×R k−ℓ ) is a local parametrisation around x, so

−1
Tx Y = DF(y,T (x)) ({0} × R
k−ℓ
) = (Dfx , T )−1 ({0} × Rk−ℓ ) = Ker(Dfx ).

The case where the dimensions are equal is particularly important:

Theorem 26 (Stack of records theorem). Given X and Y manifolds of same dimension,

with X compact, f : X → Y a smooth map, and y ∈ Y a regular value of f in f (X), then
f −1 (y)) is a finite collection of points, say f −1 (y) = {x1 , . . . , xI } with I ∈ N∗ . Moreover
there is V open around y in Y so that f −1 (V) is a disjoint union of Ui for i = 1, . . . , I, where
each Ui is open around xi and f maps each Ui diffeomorphically to V.

Remark 27. An important consequence of the stack of records theorem is that for f smooth
map between manifolds of same dimension, the number #f −1 (y) is locally constant as y
ranges over regular values of f (and the set of regular values is open by the inverse fct theo).

Proof. Applying the inverse function theorem near each point in the pre-image shows that
f −1 (y) is a collection of isolated points. If X is compact such collection is then finite due to the
compactness. (Note that it is compatible with the convention that a 0-dimensional manifold
means an isolated collection of points.) Let f −1 (y) = {x1 , . . . , xI } and for each 1 ≤ i ≤ I, by
the inverse function theorem we can pick Ũi open around xi so that f maps diffeomorphically
Ũi to the open set f (Ũi ). The subset X \ (∪Ii=1 Ũi ) is compact and f (X \ (∪Ii=1 Ũi )) is therefore
compact and does not contain y by construction. We define

V := ∩Ii=1 f (Ũi ) \ f (X \ ∪Ii=1 Ũi )

which is open around y in Y . Finally we take Ui := Ũi ∩ f −1 (V) which is open around xi .

We had seen two basic “lego” ways of building new manifolds: open subset and product.
The pre-image theorem gives a new more interesting procedure.
Pn+1 2
Example 28. Let f : Rn+1 → R defined by f (x) = i=1 xi . Then Dfx (y) = 2(x · y).
Therefore the only critical point is x = 0 and the corresponding critical value is y = 0. And
y = 1 is a regular value, so that the pre-image theorem shows that f −1 (1) = Sn is a smooth
manifold of dimension (n + 1) − 1 = n.