Differential gorms, differential worms

Abstract

We study "higher-dimensional" generalizations of differential forms. Just as differential forms can be defined as the universal commutative differential algebra containing C^\infty(M), we can define differential gorms as the universal commutative bidifferential algebra. From a more conceptual point of view, differential forms are functions on the superspace of maps from the odd line to M and the action of Diff(the odd line) on forms is equivalent to deRham differential and to degrees of forms. Gorms are functions on the superspace of maps from the odd plane to M and we study the action of Diff(the odd plane) on gorms; it contains more than just degrees and differentials. By replacing 2 with arbitrary n, we get differential worms. We also study a generalization of homological algebra that uses Diff(the odd plane) or higher instead of Diff(the odd line), and a closely related question of forms (and gorms and worms) on some generalized spaces (contravariant functors and stacks) and of approximations of such "spaces" in terms of worms. Clearly, this is not a gormless paper.