Iterative calculus on tangent floors

Abstract

Abstract Tangent fibrations generate a “multi-floored tower”, while raising from one of its floors to the next one, one practically reiterates the previously performed actions. In this way, the "tower" admits a ladder-shaped structure. Raising to the first floors suffices for iteratively performing the subsequent steps. The paper mainly studies the tangent functor. We describe the structure of multiple vector bundle which naturally appears on the floors, tangent maps, sector-forms, the lift of vector fields to upper floors. Further, we show how tangent groups of Lie groups lead to gauge theory, and explain in this context the meaning of covariant differentiation. Finally, we will point out within the floors special subbundles - the osculating bundles, which play an essential role in classical theories.