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I am trying to review my differential Geometry. In J.Lee's Smooth Manifolds, there is an exercise in which one has to show that the product of smooth covering maps is a smooth covering map.

A smooth covering map is a smooth cover \pi: M' \rightarrow M, where M, \, M' are smooth manifolds, and in which every $p$ in M' has a neighborhood $U_p$ in $M$ such that $p|_{p^{-1}} (U_p) \rightarrow U_p$ (i.e., the restriction of $p$ to the inverse image of $U_p$ is a diffeomorphism) . I think this exercise is straightforward, (basically we just use the fact that the product of diffeomorphisms is a diffeomorphism) but I am kind of rusty, and would appreciate your inputs.

Now, we need to show that , given covers p_1:M' \rightarrow M and p_2:N' \rightarrow {N} that for any pair $(p,q)$ there is a neighborhood $W$ of $(p, q)$ such that $p_1 \times p_2 |_{p_1^{-1} \times p_2^{-1} (W)} : p_1^{-1} \times p_2^{-1} (W) \rightarrow W$ is a diffeomorphism.

But we know that for $p$ in $M$ there is a $U_p$ with $p_1|_{p_1^{-1} (U_p)} : p_1^{-1} (U_p) \rightarrow U_p$ and for any $q$ in $N$ there is a $U_q$ with $p_2|_{{p_2}^{-1} (U_q)} : p_2^{-1} (U_q) \rightarrow U_q$ such that both are diffeomorphisms. Then the product map is a diffeomorphism automatically, isn't it, i.e., isn't the map:

$(p_1, p_2)|_{(p_1^{-1} \times p_2^{-1}) (U_q)} : (p_1^{-1} \times p_2^{-1}) (U_q) \rightarrow U_p \times U_q$ a diffeomorphism?

We know that if $f = (f_1(x_1,\ldots,x_n),f_2(x_1,\ldots,x_n))$ is differentiable with derivative (f_1',f_2') and$f_1^{-1}$ and $f_2^{-1}$ are each differentiable (by the assumption of diffeomorphism), then I think the differentiable inverse here is given by the identities fof-1=Id.

I imagine there may be some issue in showing that the above is true for manifolds, and not just for subsets of $\mathbb{R}^n$. Other than that, is my setup correct?

Basically, I am curious as to whether this problem comes down to the fact that the product of diffeomorphisms is a diffeomorphism.

Thanks.

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    I tried to fix some of the notation but it still isn't optimal you'll have to make some improvements yourself.2011-03-02

1 Answers 1

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You're right. To prove this you may use the fact that you have an atlas for $M_1\times M_2$ (it's the assumed differential structure of the exercise) whose elements are of the form $(U_1\times U_2,\varphi_1\times\varphi_2)$, with $(U_1,\varphi_1)$ being in an atlas for $M_1$ and $(U_2,\varphi_2)$ being in an atlas for $M_2$.

In fact, given the diffeomorphisms f_1:M_1\to M_1' and f_2:M_2\to M_2' you have for every $(p_1,p_2)\in M_1\times M_2$ smooth coordinate charts $(U_1\times U_2,\varphi_1\times\varphi_2)$ and $(V_1\times V_2,\psi_1\times\psi_2)$, with $(p_1,p_2)\in U_1\times U_2$ and $(f_1(p_1),f_2(p_2))=(q_1,q_2)\in V_1\times V_2$. So, the smoothnes of $(\psi_1\times\psi_2)\circ(f_1\times f_2)\circ(\varphi_1\times\varphi_2)^{-1}= (\psi_1\circ f_1\circ\varphi_1^{-1})\times(\psi_2\circ f_2\circ\varphi_2^{-1})$ and $(\varphi_1\times\varphi_2)\circ(f_1\times f_2)^{-1}\circ(\psi_1\times\psi_2)^{-1} = (\varphi_1\circ f_1^{-1}\circ\psi_1^{-1})\times(\varphi_2\circ f_2^{-1}\circ\psi_2^{-1})$ come from the smoothness of $\psi_1\circ f_1\circ\varphi_1^{-1},$ $\psi_2\circ f_2\circ\varphi_2^{-1},$ $\varphi_1\circ f_1^{-1}\circ\psi_1^{-1},$ and $\varphi_2\circ f_2^{-1}\circ\psi_2^{-1}$ as in Euclidean spaces.

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    you´re right. But my intention was only to show that a product of diffeomorphisms is a diffeomorphism. I suppose that he have already grasped how to solve the exercise.2011-03-02