Integration of Differential Forms on Smooth Manifolds

Recall that a domain of integration in Rn is a bounded subset whose boundary has measure zero.

Def: Let DR be a domain of integration, and let ω be a continuous n-form on D. Any such form can be written as ω=fdx1dxn for some continuous function f:DR. We define the integral of ω over D to be $$\int_D \omega := \int_D f.$$This can be written more suggestively as $$\int_D f ; dx^1 \wedge \dots \wedge dx^n := \int_D f; dx^1\cdots dx^n.$$
Somewhat more generally, let U be an open subset of Rn or Hn, and suppose ω is compactly supported n-form on U. We define $$\int_U \omega = \int_D \omega,$$where DRn or Hn is any domain of integration containing supp ω, and ω is extended to be zero on the complement of its support.

Prop: Suppose D and E are open domain of integration in Rn or Hn, and G:DE is a smooth map that restricts to an orientation-preserving or orientation-reversing diffeomorphism from D to E. If ω is an n-form on E, then $$\int_D G^* \omega = \begin{dcases}\int_E \omega & \text{if }G \text{ is orientation-preserving,} \ -\int_E \omega & \text{if }G\text{ is orientation-reversing.}\end{dcases} $$

Lemma: Suppose U is an open subset of Rn or Hn, and K is a compact subset of U. Then there is a domain of integration KDDU.

Prop: Suppose U, V are open subsets of Rn or Hn, and G:UV is an orientation-preserving or orientation-reversing diffeomorphism. If ω is a compactly supported n-form on V, then $$\int_V \omega = \pm \int_U G^*\omega,$$with the positive sign if G is orientation-preserving, and the negative sign otherwise.

Integration on Manifolds

Def: Let M be an oriented smooth n-manifold with or without boundary, and let ω be an n-form on M. Suppose first that ω is compactly supported in a domain of a single smooth chart (U,φ) that is either positively or negatively oriented. We define the integral of ω over M to be $$\int_M \omega =: \pm \int_{\varphi[U]} \left(\varphi^{-1}\right)^* \omega, $$with the positive sign for positively oriented chart, and the negative sign otherwise.

Prop: With ω as above, Mω does not depend on the choice of smooth chart whose domain contains supp ω.

To integrate over an entire manifold, we combine this definition with a partition of unity.

Def: Suppose M is an oriented smooth n-manifold with or without boundary, and ω is a compactly supported n-form on M. Let {Ui} be a finite open cover of supp ω by domains of positively or negatively oriented smooth charts and let {ψi} be the subordinates smooth partition of unity. Define the integral of ω over M to be $$\int_M \omega := \sum_{i} \int_M \psi_i \omega. $$
Prop: The definition of Mω given above doesn't depend on the choice of open cover or partition of unity.

Just we have for orientations, we have a special definition in the zero-dimensional case.

Def: The integral of a compactly supported 0-form f over an oriented 0-manifold M is to be defined to be the sum $$\int_M f := \sum_{p\in M}\pm f(p), $$where we take the positive sign where the orientation is positive sign and the negative sign at points where it is negative.

Def: If SM is an oriented immersed k-dimensional submanifold with or without boundary, and ω is a k-form on M whose restriction to S is compactly supported we interpret Sω to mean SιSω, where ιS:SM is inclusion. In particular, if M is a compact, oriented, smooth n-manifold with boundary and ω is an (n1)-form on M, we can interpret Mω unambiguously as the integral of ιMω over M, where M is always understood to have the Stoke's orientation.

Properties of Integral of Forms: Suppose M and N are nonempty oriented smooth n-manifolds with or without boundary, and ω, η are compactly supported n-forms on M.

Integrations Over Parametrizations: Let M be an oriented smooth n-manifold with or without boundary, and let ω be a compactly supported n-form on M. Suppose D1,,Dk are open domains of integration in Rn, and for i=1,,k, we are given smooth maps Fi:DiM satisfying:

Def: Let G be a Lie group. A covariant tensor field A on G is said to be left-invariant if LgA=A for all gG.

Prop: Let G be a compact Lie group endowed with a left-invariant orientation. Then G has a unique positively oriented left-invariant n-form ωG with the property that $$\int_G \omega_G = 1.$$
The orientation form whose existence is asserted in this proposition is called the Haar volume form on G. Similarly, the map fGfωG is called the Haar integral. This I suspect is just a special case of a Haar Measures

We see that every Lie group has a left-invariant orientation form that is uniquely determined up to constant multiple. It is only in the compact case that we can use the volume normalisation to single out a unique one.