Finite volume flows and Morse theory

Abstract

In this paper we present a new approach to Morse theory based on the de Rham-Federer theory of currents. The full classical theory is derived in a transparent way. The methods carry over uniformly to the equivariant and the holomorphic settings. Moreover, the methods are substantially stronger than the classical ones and have interesting applications to geometry. They lead, for example, to formulae relating characteristic forms and singularities of bundle maps.