TRANSGRESSION FORMS IN DIMENSION 4

Abstract

We compute explicit transgression forms for the Euler and Pontrjagin classes of a Riemannian manifold M of dimension 4 under a conformal change of the metric, or a change to a Riemannian connection with torsion. These formulas describe the singular set of some connections with singularities on compact manifolds as a residue formula in terms of a polynomial of invariants. We give some applications for minimal submanifolds of Kähler manifolds. We also express the difference of the first Chern class of two almost complex structures, and in particular an obstruction to the existence of a homotopy between them, by a residue formula along the set of anti-complex points. Finally we take the first steps in the study of obstructions for two almost quaternionic-Hermitian structures on a manifold of dimension 8 to have homotopic fundamental forms or isomorphic twistor spaces.