This article is a follow up of the previous article of the authors on the analytic surgery of eta- and rho-invariants. We investigate in detail the (Atiyah-Patodi-Singer)-rho-invariant for manifolds with boundary. First we generalize the cut-and-paste formula to arbitrary boundary conditions. A priori the rho-invariant is an invariant of the Riemannian structure and a representation of the fundamental group. We show, however, that the dependence on the metric is only very mild: it is independent of the metric in the interior and the dependence on the metric on the boundary is only up to its pseudo--isotopy class. Furthermore, we show that this cannot be improved: we give explicit examples and a theoretical argument that different metrics on the boundary in general give rise to different rho-invariants. Theoretically, this follows from an interpretation of the exponentiated rho-invariant as a covariantly constant section of a determinant bundle over a certain moduli space of flat connections and Riemannian metrics on the boundary. Finally we extend to manifolds with boundary the results of Farber-Levine-Weinberger concerning the homotopy invariance of the rho-invariant and spectral flow of the odd signature operator.
Let $X$ be a closed oriented connected topological manifold of dimension $n\geq 5$. The structure group of $X$ is the abelian group of equivalence classes of all pairs $(f, M)$ such that $M$ is a closed oriented manifold and $f\colon M \to X$ is an orientation-preserving homotopy equivalence. The main purpose of this article is to prove that a higher rho invariant defines a group homomorphism from the topological structure group of $X$ to the $C^*$-algebraic structure group of $X$. In fact, we introduce a higher rho invariant map on the homology manifold structure group of a closed oriented co…
We establish existence of the eta-invariant as well as of the Atiyah-Patodi-Singer and the Cheeger-Gromov rho-invariants for a class of Dirac operators on an incomplete edge space. Our analysis applies in particular to the signature, the Gauss-Bonnet and the spin Dirac operator. We derive an analogue of the Atiyah-Patodi-Singer index theorem for incomplete edge spaces and their non-compact infinite Galois coverings with edge singular boundary. Our arguments employ microlocal analysis of the heat kernel asymptotics on incomplete edge spaces and the classical argument of Atiyah-Patodi-Singer. As…
We define the secondary invariants L^2- eta and -rho forms for families of generalized Dirac operators on normal coverings of fibre bundles. On the covering family we assume transversally smooth spectral projections, and Novikov--Shubin invariants bigger than 3(dim B+1) to treat the large time asymptotic for general operators. In the particular case of a bundle of spin manifolds, we study the L^2- rho class in relation to the space of positive scalar curvature vertical metrics.
Using deep analytic methods, Cheeger and Gromov showed that for any smooth (4k-1)-manifold there is a universal bound for the von Neumann $L^2$ $ρ$-invariants associated to arbitrary regular covers. We present a proof of the existence of a universal bound for topological (4k-1)-manifolds, using $L^2$-signatures of bounding 4k-manifolds. For 3-manifolds, we give explicit linear universal bounds in terms of triangulations, Heegaard splittings, and surgery descriptions respectively. We show that our explicit bounds are asymptotically optimal. As an application, we give new lower bounds of the com…
Using adiabatic limits of Eta invariants, Rho invariants of the total space of a fiber bundle are investigated. One concern is to formulate the aspects of local index theory for families of Dirac operator in terms of the odd signature operator, and place known results in a context which permits the treatment of Rho invariants. The main focus is, however, to use this to compute Rho invariants for explicit classes of fibered 3-manifolds. More precisely, we consider $\U(1)$-Rho invariants of principal $S^1$-bundles over closed, oriented surfaces as well as mapping tori with torus fiber. Hyperboli…
In this paper, we use localization algebras to study higher rho invariants of closed spin manifolds with positive scalar curvature metrics. The higher rho invariant is a secondary invariant and is closely related to positive scalar curvature problems. The main result of the paper connects the higher index of the Dirac operator on a spin manifold with boundary to the higher rho invariant of the Dirac operator on the boundary, where the boundary is endowed with a positive scalar curvature metric. Our result extends a theorem of Piazza and Schick.
Let M be an orientable topological manifold of dimension m, m greater or equal to 5, with fundamental group $Γ$. Let S(M) be the topological structure set, endowed with the group structure induced by its identification with Ranicki's algebraic structure set. We prove that the (rationalized) rho map $ρ_Γ: S(M)\rightarrow K_{m+1} (D^*_Γ)\otimes \mathbb{Q}$ is a homomorphism of abelian groups.
In this paper, we study the space of metrics of positive scalar curvature using methods from coarse geometry. Given a closed spin manifold M with fundamental group G, Stephan Stolz introduced the positive scalar curvature exact sequence, in analogy to the surgery exact sequence in topology. It calculates a structure group of metrics of positive scalar curvature on M (the object we want to understand) in terms of spin-bordism of BG and a somewhat mysterious group R(G). Higson and Roe introduced a K-theory exact sequence in coarse geometry which contains the Baum-Connes assembly map, with one cr…
Given a closed smooth manifold M which carries a positive scalar curvature metric, one can associate an abelian group P(M) to the space of positive scalar curvature metrics on this manifold. The group of all diffeomorphisms of the manifold naturally acts on P(M). The moduli group of positive scalar curvature metrics is defined to be the quotient abelian group of this action, i.e. the coinvariant of the action. The moduli group measures the size of the moduli space of positive scalar curvature metrics on M. In this paper, we use the higher rho invariant and the finite part of the K-theory of th…
We study noncommutative eta- and rho-forms for homotopy equivalences. We prove a product formula for them and show that the rho-forms are well-defined on the structure set. We also define an index theoretic map from L-theory to C*-algebraic K-theory and show that it is compatible with the rho-forms. Our approach, which is based on methods of Hilsum-Skandalis and Piazza-Schick, also yields a unified analytic proof of the homotopy invariance of the higher signature class and of the L^2-signature for manifolds with boundary.
Let G be a finitely generated discrete group. In this paper we establish vanishing results for rho-invariants associated to (i) the spin-Dirac operator of a spin manifold with positive scalar curvature (ii) the signature operator of the disjoint union of a pair of homotopy equivalent oriented manifolds with fundamental group G. The invariants we consider are more precisely - the Atiyah-Patodi-Singer rho-invariant associated to a pair of finite dimensional unitary representations. - the L2-rho invariant of Cheeger-Gromov - the delocalized eta invariant of Lott for a finite conjugacy class of G.…
Several proofs have been published of the Mod Z gluing formula for the eta-invariant of a Dirac operator. However, so far the integer contribution to the gluing formula for the eta-invariant is left obscure in the literature. In this article we present a gluing formula for the eta-invariant which expresses the integer contribution as a triple index involving the boundary conditions and the Calderon projectors of the two parts of the decomposition. The main ingredients of our presentation are the Scott-Wojciechowski theorem for the determinant of a Dirac operator on a manifold with boundary and…
In this paper, we investigate analytical and geometric properties of certain non-compact boundary-manifolds, namely manifolds of bounded geometry. One result are strong Bochner type vanishing results for the L^2-cohomology of these manifolds: if e.g. a manifold admits a metric of bounded geometry which outside a compact set has nonnegative Ricci curvature and nonnegative mean curvature (of the boundary) then its first relative L^2-cohomology vanishes (this in particular answers a question of Roe). We prove the Hodge-de Rham-theorem for L^2-cohomology of oriented boundary-manifolds of bounded g…
For a closed, oriented, odd dimensional manifold $X$, we define the rho invariant $ρ(X,E,H)$ for the twisted odd signature operator valued in a flat hermitian vector bundle $E$, where $H = \sum i^{j+1} H_{2j+1}$ is an odd-degree closed differential form on $X$ and $H_{2j+1}$ is a real-valued differential form of degree ${2j+1}$. We show that the twisted rho invariant $ρ(X,E,H)$ is independent of the choice of metrics on $X$ and $E$ and of the representative $H$ in the cohomology class $[H]$. We establish some basic functorial properties of the twisted rho invariant. We express the twisted eta …
In this paper, we define a relative $L^2$-$ρ$-invariant for Dirac operators on odd-dimensional spin manifolds with boundary and show that they are invariants of the bordism classes of positive scalar curvature metrics which are collared near the boundary. As an application, we show that if a $4k+3$-dimensional spin manifold with boundary admits such a metric and if, roughly speaking, there exists a torsion element in the difference of the fundamental groups of the manifold and its boundary, then there are infinitely many bordism classes of such psc metrics on the given manifold. This result in…
A compact Fuchsian manifold with boundary is a hyperbolic 3-manifold homeomorphic to $S_g \times [0; 1]$ such that the boundary component $S_g \times \{ 0\}$ is geodesic. We prove that a compact Fuchsian manifold with convex boundary is uniquely determined by the induced path metric on $S_g \times \{1\}$. We do not put further restrictions on the boundary except convexity.
In this article, we study the geometry of compact quasi-Einstein manifolds with boundary. We establish sharp boundary estimates for compact quasi-Einstein manifolds with boundary that improve some previous results. Moreover, we obtain a characterization theorem for such manifolds in terms of the surface gravity of the boundary components, which leads to a new sharp geometric inequality. In addition, we prove a boundary estimate for compact quasi-Einstein manifolds with (possibly disconnected) boundary in terms of the Brown-York mass.
Inspired by the study of $V$-static manifold about classification, in this article, we apply the recent results obtained by Freitas and Gomes (Compact gradient Einstein-type manifolds with boundary, 2022) to prove the rigidity results for compact gradient Einstein-type manifolds with nonempty boundary and constant scalar curvature under some suitable pinching conditions. As a special case of gradient Einstein-type manifold, we also give a rigidity result of $(m,ρ)$-quasi-Einstein manifold with boundary.
We analyze critical points of two functionals of Riemannian metrics on compact manifolds with boundary. These functionals are motivated by formulae of the mass functionals of asymptotically flat and asymptotically hyperbolic manifolds.
We consider the product of a compact Riemannian manifold without boundary and null scalar curvature with a compact Riemannian manifold with boundary, null scalar curvature and constant mean curvature on the boundary. We use bifurcation theory to prove the existence of a infinite number of conformal classes with at least two non-homothetic Riemannian metrics of null scalar curvature and constant mean curvature of the boundary on the product manifold.
We study the eta-invariant, defined by Atiyah-Patodi-Singer a real valued invariant of an oriented odd-dimensional Riemannian manifold equipped with a unitary representation of its fundamental group. When the representation varies analytically, the corresponding eta-invariant may have an integral jump, known also as the spectral flow. The main result of the paper establishes a formula for this spectral jump in terms of the signatures of some homological forms, defined naturally by the path of representations. These signatures may also be computed by means of a spectral sequence of Hermitian fo…
In this paper, on Riemannian manifolds with boundary, we establish a Yau type gradient estimate and Liouville theorem for harmonic functions under Dirichlet boundary condition. Under a similar setting, we also formulate a Souplet-Zhang type gradient estimate and Liouville theorem for ancient solutions to the heat equation.
The goal of this article is to study compact quasi-Einstein manifolds with boundary. We provide boundary estimates for compact quasi-Einstein manifolds simi\-lar to previous results obtained for static and $V$-static spaces. In addition, we show that compact quasi-Einstein manifolds with connected boundary and satisfying a suitable pinching condition must be isometric, up to scaling, to the standard hemisphere $\mathbb{S}_{+}^{n}.$
In this paper, we extend the classical de Rham decomposition theorem to the case of Riemannian manifolds with boundary by using the trick of development of curves.
In this paper, we define the spectral Einstein functional associated with the Dirac operator for manifolds with boundary. And we give the proof of Kastler-Kalau-Walze type theorem for the spectral Einstein functional associated with the Dirac operator on 4-dimensional manifolds with boundary.
In this paper we consider three-manifolds with weakly umbilic boundary (the Second Fundamental form of the boundary is a constant multiple of the metric). We show that if the initial manifold has positive Ricci curvature and the boundary is convex (nonnegative Second Fundamental form), its metric can be deformed via the Ricci flow to a metric of constant curvature and totally geodesic boundary.
We prove some sharp systolic inequalities for compact $3$-manifolds with boundary. They relate the (relative) homological systoles of the manifold to its scalar curvature and mean curvature of the boundary. In the equality case, the universal cover of the manifold is isometric to a cylinder over a disk of nonnegative constant curvature.
We study the minimality of an isometric immersion of a Riemannian manifold into a strictly pseudoconvex CR manifold endowed with the Webster metric hence formulate a version of the CR Yamabe problem for CR manifolds-with-boundary. This is shown to be a nonlinear subelliptic problem of variational origin.
An analogue of the Stefan-Sussmann Theorem on manifolds with boundary is proven for normal distributions. These distributions contain vectors transverse to the boundary along its entirety. Plain integral manifolds are not enough to "integrate" a normal distribution; the next best "integrals" are so-called neat integral manifolds with boundary. The conditions on the distribution for this integrability is expressed in terms of adapted collars and integrability of a pulled-back distribution on the interior and on the boundary.
In this paper, we extend Su-Zhang's Cheeger-Mueller type theorem for symmetric bilinear torsions to manifolds with boundary in the case that the Riemannian metric and the non-degenerate symmetric bilinear form are of product structure near the boundary. Our result also extends Bruening-Ma's Cheeger-Mueller type theorem for Ray-Singer metric on manifolds with boundary to symmetric bilinear torsions in product case. We also compare it with the Ray-Singer analytic torsion on manifolds with boundary.
In [8] the authors introduced a pair of new de Rham complexes on a compact oriented Riemannian manifold with boundary by using a pair of new boundary conditions to discuss the refined analytic torsion on a compact manifold with boundary. In this paper we discuss the Lefschetz fixed point formula on these complexes with respect to a smooth map having simple fixed points and satisfying some special condition near the boundary. For this purpose we are going to use the heat kernel method for the Lefschetz fixed point formula.
Let (M,g) be a compact Einstein manifold with smooth boundary. We consider the spectrum of the p form valued Laplacian with respect to a suitable boundary condition. We show that certain geometric properties of the boundary may be spectrally characterized in terms of this data where we fix the Einstein constant.
This manuscript studies manifolds-with-boundary collapsing in the Gromov-Hausdorff topology. The main aim is an understanding of the relationship of the topology and geometry of a limiting sequence of manifolds-with-boundary to that of a limit space, which is presumed to be without geodesic terminals. The main result establishes a disc bundle structure for any manifold-with-boundary having two-sided bounds on sectional curvature and second fundamental form, and a lower bound on intrinsic injectivity radius, which is sufficiently close in the Gromov-Hausdorff topology to a closed manifold. The …
In this paper, we define lower dimensional volumes of compact Riemannian manifolds with boundary. For five dimensional spin manifolds with boundary, we prove a Kastler-Kalau-Walze type theorem associated with one-form perturbations of Dirac operators in this case.
We discuss the problem of prescribing the mean curvature and conformal class as boundary data for Einstein metrics on 3-manifolds, in the context of natural elliptic boundary value problems for Riemannian metrics.
For a manifold with nonpositive curvature, the Martin boundary is described by the behavior of normalized Green's functions at infinity. A classical result by Anderson and Schoen states that if the manifold has pinched negative curvature, the geometric boundary is the same as the Martin boundary. In this paper, we study the Martin boundary for rank 1 manifolds admitting compact quotients. It is proved that a residual set in the geometric boundary can be identified naturally with a subset of the Martin boundary. This gives a partial answer to one of the open problems in geometry collected by Ya…
This paper completes the foundations of neatly integrable normal distribution theory on manifolds with boundary. Normal distributions are those which contain vectors transverse to the boundary along its entirety. The theory is observed to be entirely analogous with the theory of integrable distributions on manifolds due to Stefan and Sussmann. The main result is a one-to-one correspondence between so-called neatly integrable normal distributions and neat foliations by manifolds with boundary. Neat foliations are allowed to have non-constant dimension and the leaves have boundary contained in t…
In this paper, we establish an equivariant version of Dai-Zhang's Toeplitz index theorem for compact odd-dimensional spin manifolds with even-dimensional boundary.
We establish a gluing theorem for solutions of a Yamabe problem for manifolds with boundary studied by Escobar in the 90's. Given two scalar-flat Riemannian manifolds whose boundary has zero mean curvature and sharing a submanifold $K$, we produce the generalized connected sum along $K$. On this third manifold we produce a family of scalar-flat metrics with small, constant mean curvature on the boundary which are close to the original metrics in the $C^2$ sense. Under extra geometric conditions on the original manifolds, we can arrange for this family to also have vanishing mean curvature on t…
In this paper, we give two Lichnerowicz type formulas for modified Novikov operators. We prove KastlerKalau-Walze type theorems for modified Novikov operators on compact manifolds with (resp.without) boundary. We also compute the spectral action for Witten deformation on 4-dimensional compact manifolds.
We consider a class of complete Kahler manifolds with a strictly pseudoconvex boundary at infinity. After studying its asymptotic geometry, we formulate a conjecture in the Kahler-Einstein case relating the bottom of spectrum to the CR geometry on the boundary. We prove some partial results.
We study Kahler manifolds-with-boundary, not necessarily compact, with weakly pseudoconvex boundary, each component of which is compact. If such a manifold $K$ has $l\ge2$ boundary components (possibly $l=\infty$), then it has first betti number at least $l-1$, and the Levi form of any boundary component is zero. If $K$ has $l\ge1$ pseudoconvex boundary components and at least one non-parabolic end, the first betti number of $K$ is at least $l$. In either case, any boundary component has non-vanishing first betti number. If $K$ has one pseudoconvex boundary component with vanishing first betti…
We propose a new approach to the study of compact Riemannian manifolds with nonnegative Ricci curvature and strictly convex boundary or positive Ricci curvature and convex boundary. Several conjectures are formulated. Some partial results that support these conjectures are established.
If M is a compact oriented manifold-with-boundary whose fundamental group is virtually nilpotent or Gromov-hyperbolic, we show that the higher signatures of M are oriented-homotopy invariants.
On the boundary of a compact Riemannian manifold $(Ω, g)$ whose metric $g$ is static, we establish a functional inequality involving the static potential of $(Ω, g)$, the second fundamental form and the mean curvature of the boundary $\partial Ω$ respectively.
We build blowing-up solutions for linear perturbation of the Yamabe problem on manifolds with umbilic boundary, provided the Weyl tensor is nonzero everywhere on the boundary and the dimension of the manifold is n>10.
We consider the problem of finding a metric in a given conformal class with prescribed nonpositive scalar curvature and nonpositive boundary mean curvature on a compact manifold with boundary, and establish a necessary and sufficient condition in terms of a conformal invariant that measures the zero set of the target curvatures.
We build blowing-up solutions for linear perturbation of the Yamabe problem on manifolds with boundary, provided the dimension of the manifold is n>6 and the trace-free part of the second fundamental form is non-zero everywhere on the boundary.
