A functorial approach to differential characters
arXiv:math/0212128 · doi:10.2140/agt.2004.4.81
Abstract
We describe Cheeger-Simons differential characters in terms of a variant of Turaev's homotopy quantum field theories based on chains in a smooth manifold X.
Published by Algebraic and Geometric Topology at http://www.maths.warwick.ac.uk/agt/AGTVol4/agt-4-6.abs.html