In this paper we study the index theoretic interpretation of the analytical assembly map that appears in the Baum-Connes conjecture. In its general form it may be constructed using Kasparov's equivariant KK-theory. In the special case of a torsionfree group the domain simplifies to the usual K-homology of the classifying space BG of G and it is frequently used that in this case the analytical assembly map is given by assigning to an operator an equivariant index. We give a precise formulation of this statement and prove it.
Inspired by an analytic construction of Chang, Weinberger and Yu, we define an assembly map in relative geometric $K$-homology. The properties of the geometric assembly map are studied using a variety of index theoretic tools (e.g., the localized index and higher Atiyah-Patodi-Singer index theory). As an application we obtain a vanishing result in the context of manifolds with boundary and positive scalar curvature; this result is also inspired and connected to work of Chang, Weinberger and Yu. Furthermore, we use results of Wahl to show that rational injectivity of the relative assembly map i…
In this paper, the first of a series of two, we continue the study of higher index theory for expanders. We prove that if a sequence of graphs is an expander and the girth of the graphs tends to infinity, then the coarse Baum-Connes assembly map is injective, but not surjective, for the associated metric space $X$. Expanders with this girth property are a necessary ingredient in the construction of the so-called `Gromov monster' groups that (coarsely) contain expanders in their Cayley graphs. We use this connection to show that the Baum-Connes assembly map with certain coefficients is injectiv…
We consider the assembly map for principal bundles with fiber a countable discrete group. We obtain an index-theoretic interpretation of this homomorphism by providing a tensor-product presentation for the module of sections associated to the Miščenko line bundle. In addition, we give a proof of Atiyah's $L^2$-index theorem in the general context of principal bundles over compact Hausdorff spaces. We thereby also reestablish that the surjectivity of the Baum-Connes assembly map implies the Kadison-Kaplansky idempotent conjecture in the torsion-free case. Our approach does not rely on geometric…
For a proper, cocompact action by a locally compact group of the form $H \times G$, with $H$ compact, we define an $H \times G$-equivariant index of $H$-transversally elliptic operators, which takes values in $KK_*(C^*H, C^*G)$. This simultaneously generalises the Baum--Connes analytic assembly map, Atiyah's index of transversally elliptic operators, and Kawasaki's orbifold index. This index also generalises the assembly map to elliptic operators on orbifolds. In the special case where the manifold in question is a real semisimple Lie group, $G$ is a cocompact lattice and $H$ is a maximal comp…
We give a complete solution, for discrete countable groups, to the problem of defining and computing a geometric pairing between the left hand side of the Baum-Connes assembly map, given in terms of geometric cycles associated to proper actions on manifolds, and cyclic periodic cohomology of the group algebra. Indeed, for any such group $Γ$ (without any further assumptions on it) we construct an explicit morphism from the Left-Hand side of the Baum-Connes assembly map to the periodic cyclic homology of the group algebra. This morphism, called here the Chern-Baum-Connes assembly map, allows to …
We introduce and analyze the concept of an assembly map from the original homotopy theoretic point of view. We give also interpretations in terms of surgery theory, controlled topology and index theory. The motivation is that prominent conjectures of Farrell-Jones and Baum-Connes about K- and L-theory of group rings and group C^*-algebras predict that certain assembly maps are weak homotopy equivalences.
Given an action of a discrete quantum group (in the sense of Van Daele, Kustermans and Effros-Ruan) ${\cal A}$ on a $C^*$-algebra ${\cal C}$, satisfying some regularity assumptions resembling the proper $Γ$-compact action for a classical discrete group $Γ$ on some space, we are able to construct canonical maps $μ^i_r$ (\$μ_i$ respectively) ($i=0,1$) from the ${\cal A}$-equivariant K-homology groups $KK_i^{\cal A}({\cal C}, C |)$ to the K-theory groups $K_i(\hat{{\cal A}_r})$ ($K_i(\hat{\cal A})$ respectively), where $\hat{{\cal A}_r}$ and $\hat{\cal A}$ stand for the quantum analogues of the r…
We study index theory for manifolds with Baas-Sullivan singularities using geometric K-homology with coefficients in a unital C*-algebra. In particular, we define a natural analog of the Baum-Connes assembly map for a torsion-free discrete group in the context of these singular spaces. The cases of singularities modelled on k-points (i.e., z/k-manifolds) and the circle are discussed in detail. In the case of the former, the associated index theorem is related to the Freed-Melrose index theorem; in the case of latter, the index theorem is related to work of Rosenberg.
Let G be a locally compact group acting smoothly and properly by isometries on a complete Riemannian manifold M, with compact quotient. There is an assembly map which associates to any G-equivariant K-homology class on M, an element of the topological K-theory of a suitable Banach completion B of the convolution algebra of continuous compactly supported functions on G. The aim of this paper is to calculate the composition of the assembly map with the Chern character in the entire cyclic homology of B. We prove an index theorem reducing this computation to a cup-product in bivariant entire cycl…
Let $T$ be the circle group and let $LT$ be its loop group. We formulate and investigate several topological aspects of the $LT$-equivariant index theory for proper $LT$-spaces, where proper $LT$-spaces are infinite-dimensional manifolds equipped with "proper cocompact" $LT$-actions. Concretely, we introduce "$\mathcal{R}KK$-theory for infinite-dimensional manifolds", and by using it, we formulate an infinite-dimensional version of the $KK$-theoretical Poincaré duality homomorphism, and an infinite-dimensional version of the $\mathcal{R}KK$-theory counterpart of the assembly map, for proper $L…
We study twisted $Spin^c$-manifolds over a paracompact Hausdorff space $X$ with a twisting $α: X \to K(\ZZ, 3)$. We introduce the topological index and the analytical index on the bordism group of $α$-twisted $Spin^c$-manifolds over $(X, α)$, taking values in topological twisted K-homology and analytical twisted K-homology respectively. The main result of this paper is to establish the equality between the topological index and the analytical index. We also define a notion of geometric twisted K-homology, whose cycles are geometric cycles of $(X, \a)$ analogous to Baum-Douglas's geometric cycl…
We consider a invariant Dirac operator D on a manifold with a proper and cocompact action of a discrete group G. It gives rise to an equivariant K-homology class [D]. We show how the index of the induced orbifold Dirac operator can be calculated from [D] via the assembly map. We further derive a formula for this index in terms of the contributions of finite cyclic subgroups of G. According to results of W. Lueck, the equivariant K-homology can rationally be decomposed as a direct sum of contributions of finite cyclic subgroups of G. Our index formula thus leads to an explicit decomposition of …
Let $T$ be a circle group, and $LT$ be its loop group. We hope to establish an index theory for infinite-dimensional manifolds which $LT$ acts on, including Hamiltonian $LT$-spaces, from the viewpoint of $KK$-theory. We have already constructed several objects in the previous paper \cite{T}, including a Hilbert space $\mathcal{H}$ consisting of "$L^2$-sections of a Spinor bundle on the infinite-dimensional manifold", an "$LT$-equivariant Dirac operator $\mathcal{D}$" acting on $\mathcal{H}$, a "twisted crossed product of the function algebra by $LT$", and the "twisted group $C^*$-algebra of $L…
The equivariant coarse index is well-understood and widely used for actions by discrete groups. We extend the definition of this index to general locally compact groups. We use a suitable notion of admissible modules over $C^*$-algebras of continuous functions to obtain a meaningful index. Inspired by work by Roe, we then develop a localised variant, with values in the $K$-theory of a group $C^*$-algebra. This generalises the Baum-Connes assembly map to non-cocompact actions. We show that an equivariant index for Callias-type operators is a special case of this localised index, obtain results …
In the first part of this series, we defined an equivariant index without assuming the group acting or the orbit space of the action to be compact. This allowed us to generalise an index of deformed Dirac operators, defined for compact groups by Braverman. In this paper, we investigate properties and applications of this index. We prove that it has an induction property that can be used to deduce various other properties of the index. In the case of compact orbit spaces, we show how it is related to the analytic assembly map from the Baum-Connes conjecture, and an index used by Mathai and Zhan…
Consider a proper, isometric action by a unimodular locally compact group $G$ on a Riemannian manifold $M$ with boundary, such that $M/G$ is compact. Then an equivariant Dirac-type operator $D$ on $M$ under a suitable boundary condition has an equivariant index $\operatorname{index}_G(D)$ in the $K$-theory of the reduced group $C^*$-algebra $C^*_rG$ of $G$. This is a common generalisation of the Baum-Connes analytic assembly map and the (equivariant) Atiyah-Patodi-Singer index. In part I of this series, a numerical index $\operatorname{index}_g(D)$ was defined for an element $g \in G$, in term…
Naively, the analytic index of a family of self-adjoint Fredholm operators ought to be (an equivalence class of) the family of the kernels of these operators. The present paper is devoted to a rigorous version of this idea based on ideas of Segal as developed by the author in arXiv:2111.14313 [math.KT]. The resulting new definition of the analytic index makes sense under much weaker continuity assumptions than the Atiyah-Singer one and can be easily adjusted to families of operators in fibers of a Hilbert bundle. We prove the correctness of the new definition and show that it agrees with the A…
