Differential KO-theory: constructions, computations, and applications

Abstract: We provide several constructions in differential KO-theory. First, we construct a differential refinement of the $\hat{A}$-genus and a pushforward leading to a Riemann-Roch theorem. We set up a differential refinement of the Atiyah-Hirzebruch spectral sequence (AHSS) for differential KO-theory and explicitly identify the differentials, including ones which mix geometric and topological data. We highlight the power of these explicit identifications by providing a characterization of forms in the image of the Pontrjagin character. Along the way, we fill gaps in the literature where K-theory is usually worked out leaving KO-theory essentially untouched. We also illustrate with examples and applications, including higher tangential structures, Adams operations, and a differential Wu formula.