Differential Calculi over Quantum Groups and Twisted Cyclic Cocycles

We study some aspects of the theory of non-commutative differential calculi over complex algebras, especially over the Hopf algebras associated to compact quantum groups in the sense of S.L. Woronowicz. Our principal emphasis is on the theory of twisted graded traces and their associated twisted cyclic cocycles. One of our principal results is a new method of constructing differential calculi, using twisted graded traces.