The flat chain conjecture for metric currents

Let kNk\in\mathbb{N}, let X\mathrm{X} be a metric space, and let Mk(X)\mathbf{M}_k(\mathrm{X}) denote the space of metric kk-currents on X\mathrm{X}. Normal kk-currents are metric kk-currents whose mass and boundary mass are finite, and the flat norm is the metric induced by flat decompositions. Flat chain conjecture. Every kk-current on a metric space X\mathrm{X} can be approximated by normal kk-currents under the flat norm, namely

{normal k-currents}Flat norm=Mk(X).\overline{\{\text{normal }k\text{-currents}\}}^{\text{Flat norm}}=\mathbf{M}_k(\mathrm{X}).

This conjecture asks whether metric currents are flat limits of normal currents. It is known in Euclidean space for k=1k=1 and k=nk=n, and Schioppa proved the corresponding metric statement for normal 11-currents in quasiconvex spaces satisfying a finite-dimensionality assumption; the general metric version remains open.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

David Bate, Emanuele Caputo, Jakub Takáč, Phoebe Valentine and Pietro Wald, “Structure of Metric 1-currents: approximation by normal currents and representation results”, arXiv:2508.08017 (2025).

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