{"paper":{"title":"The $\\mathcal{L}$-Calculus for Causal Variational Principles: An Exterior Differential Calculus on Non-Smooth Spaces","license":"http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/","headline":"","cross_cats":["math.MP"],"primary_cat":"math-ph","authors_text":"Felix Finster, Frank van der Top, Niky Kamran","submitted_at":"2026-08-09T16:53:33Z","abstract_excerpt":"A differential calculus for causal variational principles is developed, which generalizes the exterior calculus of differential forms and some of the associated differential topological structures to non-smooth spaces. Our calculus includes the exterior derivative, de Rham cohomology, glueing constructions (restrictions and extensions of differential forms, Mayer-Vietoris sequence), a K\\\"unneth formula and Poincar{\\'e}'s lemma. Moreover, we prove versions of Stokes' theorem and the Gau{\\ss} divergence theorem. The constructions and results are illustrated by several examples."},"claims":{"count":0,"items":[],"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"source":{"id":"2608.08811","kind":"arxiv","version":1},"verdict":{"id":null,"model_set":{},"created_at":null,"strongest_claim":"","one_line_summary":"","pipeline_version":null,"weakest_assumption":"","pith_extraction_headline":""},"integrity":{"clean":true,"summary":{"advisory":0,"critical":0,"by_detector":{},"informational":0},"endpoint":"/pith/2608.08811/integrity.json","findings":[],"available":true,"detectors_run":[],"snapshot_sha256":"c28c3603d3b5d939e8dc4c7e95fa8dfce3d595e45f758748cecf8e644a296938"},"references":{"count":0,"sample":[],"resolved_work":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57","internal_anchors":0},"formal_canon":{"evidence_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"author_claims":{"count":0,"strong_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"builder_version":"pith-number-builder-2026-05-17-v1"}