Let $(M,g)$ be a pseudo-Riemannian manifold and $F_λ(M)$ the space of densities of degree $λ$ on $M$. We study the space $D^2_{λ,μ}(M)$ of second-order differential operators from $F_λ(M)$ to $F_μ(M)$. If $(M,g)$ is conformally flat with signature $p-q$, then $D^2_{λ,μ}(M)$ is viewed as a module over the group of conformal transformations of $M$. We prove that, for almost all values of $μ-λ$, the $O(p+1,q+1)$-modules $D^2_{λ,μ}(M)$ and the space of symbols (i.e., of second-order polynomials on $T^*M$) are canonically isomorphic. This yields a conformally equivariant quantization for quadratic Hamiltonians. We furthermore show that this quantization map extends to arbitrary pseudo-Riemannian manifolds and depends only on the conformal class $[g]$ of the metric. As an example, the quantization of the geodesic flow yields a novel conformally equivariant Laplace operator on half-densities, as well as the well-known Yamabe Laplacian. We also recover in this framework the multi-dimensional Schwarzian derivative of conformal transformations.
We prove the existence and the uniqueness of a conformally equivariant symbol calculus and quantization on any conformally flat pseudo-Riemannian manifold $(M,\rg)$. In other words, we establish a canonical isomorphism between the spaces of polynomials on $T^*M$ and of differential operators on tensor densities over $M$, both viewed as modules over the Lie algebra $\so(p+1,q+1)$ where $p+q=\dim(M)$. This quantization exists for generic values of the weights of the tensor densities and compute the critical values of the weights yielding obstructions to the existence of such an isomorphism. In t…
Conformally equivariant quantization is a peculiar map between symbols of real weight $δ$ and differential operators acting on tensor densities, whose real weights are designed by $λ$ and $λ+δ$. The existence and uniqueness of such a map has been proved by Duval, Lecomte and Ovsienko for a generic weight $δ$. Later, Silhan has determined the critical values of $δ$ for which unique existence is lost, and conjectured that for those values of $δ$ existence is lost for a generic weight $λ$. We fully determine the cases of existence and uniqueness of the conformally equivariant quantization in term…
The concept of conformally equivariant quantizations was introduced by Duval, Lecomte and Ovsienko in \cite{DLO} for manifolds endowed with flat conformal structures. They obtained results of existence and uniqueness (up to normalization) of such a quantization procedure. A natural generalization of this concept is to seek for a quantization procedure, over a manifold $M$, that depends on a pseudo-Riemannian metric, is natural and is invariant with respect to a conformal change of the metric. The existence of such a procedure was conjectured by P. Lecomte in \cite{Leconj} and proved by C. Duva…
We are interested in the study of the space of $n$-ary differential operators denoted by $\mathfrak{D}_{\underlineł,μ}$ where $\underlineł=(ł_{1},...,ł_{n})$ acting on weighted densities from $\frak F_{ł_1}\otimes\frak F_{ł_2}\otimes...\otimes\frak F_{ł_n}$ to $\frak F_μ$ as a module over the orthosymplectic superalgebra $\mathfrak{osp}(1|2)$. As a consequence, we prove the existence and the uniqueness of a canonical conformally equivariant symbol map from $\mathfrak{D}_{\underlineλ,μ}^k$ to the corresponding space of symbols as well for the explicit expression of the associated quantization m…
We extend projectively equivariant quantization and symbol calculus to symbols of pseudo-differential operators. An explicit expression in terms of hypergeometric functions with noncommutative arguments is given. Some examples are worked out, one of them yielding a quantum length element on $S^3$.
By computing certain cohomology of Vect(M) of smooth vector fields we prove that on 1-dimensional manifolds M there is no quantization map intertwining the action of non-projective embeddings of the Lie algebra sl(2) into the Lie algebra Vect(M). Contrariwise, for projective embeddings sl(2)-equivariant quantization exists.
In [5], P. Lecomte conjectured the existence of a natural and conformally invariant quantization. In [7], we gave a proof of this theorem thanks to the theory of Cartan connections. In this paper, we give an explicit formula for the natural and conformally invariant quantization of trace-free symbols thanks to the method used in [7] and to tools already used in [8] in the projective setting. This formula is extremely similar to the one giving the natural and projectively invariant quantization in [8].
This work takes place over a conformally flat spin manifold (M,g). We prove existence and uniqueness of the conformally equivariant quantization valued in spinor differential operators, and provide an explicit formula for it when restricted to first order operators. The Poisson algebra of symbols is realized as a space of functions on the supercotangent bundle, endowed with a symplectic form depending on the metric g. It admits two different actions of the conformal Lie algebra, one tensorial and one Hamiltonian. They are intertwined by the uniquely defined conformally equivariant superization…
Let $M$ be a smooth manifold equipped with a conformal structure, $E[w]$ the space of densities with the the conformal weight $w$ and $D_{w,w+\de}$ the space of differential operators from $E[w]$ to $E[w+δ]$. Conformal quantization $Q$ is a right inverse of the principle symbol map on $D_{w,w+δ}$ such that $Q$ is conformally invariant and exists for all $w$. This is known to exists for generic values of $δ$. We give explicit formulae for $Q$ for all $δ$ out of the set of critical weights. We provide a simple description of this set and conjecture its minimality.
In [3], the authors showed the existence and the uniqueness of a sl(m+1,\R)-equivariant quantization in the non-critical situations. The curved generalization of the sl(m+1,\R)-equivariant quantization is the natural and projectively equivariant quantization. In [1] and [7], the existence of such a quantization was proved in two different ways. In this paper, we show that this quantization is not unique.
This article is a survey of recent work of the authors developing a new approach to quantization based on the equivariance with respect to some Lie group of symmetries. Examples are provided by conformal and projective differential geometry: given a smooth manifold M endowed with a flat conformal/projective structure, we establish a canonical isomorphism between the space of symmetric contravariant tensor fields on M and the space of differential operators on M. This leads to a notion of conformally/projectively invariant star-product on $T^*M$.
A quantization over a manifold can be seen as a way to construct a differential operator with prescribed principal symbol. The quantization map is moreover required to be a linear bijection. It is known that there is in general no natural quantization procedure. However, considering manifolds endowed with additional structures, such as projective or pseudo-conformal structures, one can seek for quantizations that depend on this additional structure and that are natural if the dependence with respect to the structure is taken into account. The question of existence of such a quantization was ad…
Let $(M,g)$ be a pseudo-Riemannian manifold. We propose a new approach for defining the conformal Schwarzian derivatives. These derivatives are 1-cocycles on the group of diffeomorphisms of $M$ related to the modules of linear differential operators. As operators, these derivatives do not depend on the rescaling of the metric $g.$ In particular, if the manifold $(M,g)$ is conformally flat, these derivatives vanish on the conformal group $\Og(p+1,q+1),$ where $\mathrm{dim} (M)=p+q.$ This work is a continuation of [1,4] where the Schwarzian derivative was defined on a manifold endowed with a pro…
The existence of a natural and projectively equivariant quantization in the sense of Lecomte [20] was proved recently by M. Bordemann [4], using the framework of Thomas-Whitehead connections. We give a new proof of existence using the notion of Cartan projective connections and we obtain an explicit formula in terms of these connections. Our method yields the existence of a projectively equivariant quantization if and only if an \sl(m+1,\R)-equivariant quantization exists in the flat situation in the sense of [18], thus solving one of the problems left open by M. Bordemann.
We investigate the concept of projectively equivariant quantization in the framework of super projective geometry. When the projective superalgebra pgl(p+1|q) is simple, our result is similar to the classical one in the purely even case: we prove the existence and uniqueness of the quantization except in some critical situations. When the projective superalgebra is not simple (i.e. in the case of pgl(n|n)\not\cong sl(n|n)), we show the existence of a one-parameter family of equivariant quantizations. We also provide explicit formulas in terms of a generalized divergence operator acting on supe…
We construct an explicit scheme to associate to any potential symbol an operator acting between sections of natural bundles (associated to irreducible representations) for a so-called AHS-structure. Outside of a finite set of critical (or resonant) weights, this procedure gives rise to a quantization, which is intrinsic to this geometric structure. In particular, this provides projectively and conformally equivariant quantizations for arbitrary symbols on general (curved) projective and conformal structures.
We study the existence of natural and projectively equivariant quantizations for differential operators acting between order 1 vector bundles over a smooth manifold M. To that aim, we make use of the Thomas-Whitehead approach of projective structures and construct a Casimir operator depending on a projective Cartan connection. We attach a scalar parameter to every space of differential operators, and prove the existence of a quantization except when this parameter belongs to a discrete set of resonant values.
In this paper, we generalize the known results on the super circles $S^{1|1}$ and $S^{1|2}$. We construct the fine equivariant quantization on the super circle $S^{1|n}$ for $n\geqslant 3$. The equivariant Lie superalgebra is $\spo(2|n)$ which is constituted of the contact projective vector fields on $S^{1|n}$. In order to construct the fine equivariant quantization on $S^{1|n}$, we use the model developed, in the purely even case, by Charles H. Conley and Valentin Ovsienko in \textit{[Linear Differential Operators on Contact manifolds, http://www.arxiv:math-Ph/1205.6562v1,24p, 2012]}. We also…
We investigate the concept of equivariant quantization over the superspace R^{p+q|2r}, with respect to the orthosymplectic algebra osp(p+1,q+1|2r). Our methods and results vary upon the superdimension p+q-2r. When the superdimension is nonzero, we manage to obtain a result which is similar to the classical theorem of Duval, Lecomte and Ovsienko: we prove the existence and uniqueness of the equivariant quantization except in some resonant situations. To do so, we have to adapt their methods to take into account the fact that the Casimir operator of the orthosymplectic algebra on supersymmetric …
In [8], P. Lecomte conjectured the existence of a natural and projectively equivariant quantization. In [1], M. Bordemann proved this existence using the framework of Thomas-Whitehead connections. In [9], we gave a new proof of the same theorem thanks to the Cartan connections. After these works there was no explicit formula for the quantization. In this paper, we give this formula using the formula in terms of Cartan connections given in [9]. This explicit formula constitutes the generalization to any order of the formulae at second and third orders soon published by Bouarroudj in [2] and [3]…
In this paper, we analyse the question of existence of a natural and projectively equivariant symbol calculus, using the theory of projective Cartan connections. We establish a close relationship between the existence of such a natural symbol calculus and the existence of an \sl(m+1,\R)-equivariant calculus over \R^{m} in the sense of [15,1]. Moreover we show that the formulae that hold in the non-critical situations over \R^{m} for the \sl(m+1,\R)-equivariant calculus can be directly generalized to an arbitrary manifold by simply replacing the partial derivatives by invariant differentiations…
Equivariant quantization is a new theory that highlights the role of symmetries in the relationship between classical and quantum dynamical systems. These symmetries are also one of the reasons for the recent interest in quantization of singular spaces, orbifolds, stratified spaces... In this work, we prove existence of an equivariant quantization for orbifolds. Our construction combines an appropriate desingularization of any Riemannian orbifold by a foliated smooth manifold, with the foliated equivariant quantization that we built in \cite{PoRaWo}. Further, we suggest definitions of the comm…
The spaces of higher-order differential operators (in Dimension 1|2), which are modules over the stringy Lie superalgebra K(2), are isomorphic to the corresponding spaces of symbols as orthosymplectic modules in non resonant cases. Such an osp (2|2)-equivariant quantization, which has been given in second-order differential operators case, keeps existing and unique. We calculate its explicit formula that provides extension in particular order cases.
Let M be a manifold endowed with a symmetric affine connection $Γ.$ The aim of this paper is to describe a quantization map between the space of second-order polynomials on the cotangent bundle T^{*} M and the space of second-order linear differential operators, both viewed as modules over the group of diffeomorphisms and the Lie algebra of vector fields on M. This map is an isomorphism, for almost all values of certain constants, and it depend only on the projective class of the affine connection $Γ.$
We consider the space of differential operators $\mathcal{D}_{λμ}$ acting between $λ$- and $μ$-densities defined on $S^{1|2}$ endowed with its standard contact structure. This contact structure allows one to define a filtration on $\mathcal{D}_{λμ}$ which is finer than the classical one, obtained by writting a differential operator in terms of the partial derivatives with respect to the different coordinates. The space $\mathcal{D}_{λμ}$ and the associated graded space of symbols $\mathcal{S}_δ$ ($δ=μ-λ$) can be considered as $\mathfrak{spo}(2|2)$-modules, where $\mathfrak{spo}(2|2)$ is the Li…
The elaboration of new quantization methods has recently developed the interest in the study of subalgebras of the Lie algebra of polynomial vector fields over a Euclidean space. In this framework, these subalgebras define maximal equivariance conditions that one can impose on a linear bijection between observables that are polynomial in the momenta and differential operators.Here, we determine which finite dimensional graded Lie subalgebras are maximal. In order to characterize these, we make use of results of Guillemin, Singer and Sternberg and Kobayashi and Nagano.
We develop a new approach, based on quantization methods, to study higher symmetries of invariant differential operators. We focus here on conformally invariant powers of the Laplacian over a conformally flat manifold and recover results of Eastwood, Leistner, Gover and Šilhan. In particular, conformally equivariant quantization establishes a correspondence between the algebra of Hamiltonian symmetries of the null geodesic flow and the algebra of higher symmetries of the conformal Laplacian. Combined with a symplectic reduction, this leads to a quantization of the minimal nilpotent coadjoint o…
A G-equivariant spin^c structure on a manifold gives rise to a virtual representation of the group G, called the spin^c quantization of the manifold. We present a cutting construction for S^1-equivariant spin^c manifolds, and show that the quantization of the original manifold is isomorphic to the direct sum of the quantizations of the cut spaces. Our proof uses Kostant-type formulas, which express the quantization in terms of local data around the fixed point set of the S^1-action.
We present a novel approach to the classification of conformally equivariant differential operators on spinors in the case of homogeneous conformal geometry. It is based on the classification of solutions for a vector-valued system of partial differential equations, associated to $\mathcal{D}$-modules for the homogeneous conformal structure and controlled by the spin Howe duality for the orthogonal Lie algebras.
We first partially extend a theorem of Topping, on the relation between mean curvature and intrinsic diameter, from immersed submanifolds of $\mathbb{R} ^{n} $ to almost everywhere immersed, closed submanifolds of a compact Riemannian manifold. We use this to prove quantization of energy for pseudo-holomorphic closed curves, of all genus, in a compact locally conformally symplectic manifold.
The spaces of linear differential operators on ${\mathbb{R}}^n$ acting on tensor densities of degree $λ$ and the space of functions on $T^*{\mathbb{R}}^n$ which are polynomial on the fibers are not isomorphic as modules over the Lie algebra $\Vect({\mathbb{R}}^n)$ of vector fields on ${\mathbb{R}}^n$. However, these modules are isomorphic as $sl(n+1,{\mathbb{R}})$-modules where $sl(n+1,{\mathbb{R}})\subset \Vect({\mathbb{R}}^n)$ is the Lie algebra of infinitesimal projective transformations. In addition, such an $sl_{n+1}$-equivariant bijection is unique (up to normalization). This leads to a …
Let $G$ be a compact connected Lie group acting on a stable complex manifold $M$ with equivariant vector bundle $E$. Besides, suppose $ϕ$ is an equivariant map from $M$ to the Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$. We can define some equivalence relation on the triples $(M, E, ϕ)$ such that the set of equivalence classes form an abelian group. In this paper, we will show that this group is isomorphic to a completion of character ring $R(G)$. In this framework, we provide a geometric proof to the "Quantization Commutes with Reduction" conjecture in the non-compact setting.
This paper completes the construction of arbitrary order conformally invariant differential operators in higher spin spaces. Jan Slovák has classified all conformally invariant differential operators on locally conformally flat manifolds. We complete his results in higher spin theory by giving explicit expressions for arbitrary order conformally invariant differential operators, where by conformally invariant we mean equivariant with respect to the conformal group of $\mathbb{S}^m$ acting in Euclidean space $\mathbb{R}^m$. We name these the fermionic operators when the order is odd and bosonic…
Consider a compact prequantizable symplectic manifold M on which a compact Lie group G acts in a Hamiltonian fashion. The ``quantization commutes with reduction'' theorem asserts that the G-invariant part of the equivariant index of M is equal to the Riemann-Roch number of the symplectic quotient of M, provided the quotient is nonsingular. We extend this result to singular symplectic quotients, using partial desingularizations of the symplectic quotient to define its Riemann-Roch number. By similar methods we also compute multiplicities for the equivariant index of the dual of a prequantum bun…
Let G be a compact, simply connected Lie group. We develop a `quantization functor' from pre-quantized quasi-Hamiltonian G-spaces at level k to the fusion ring (Verlinde algebra) R_k(G). The quantization Q(M) is defined as a push-forward in twisted equivariant K-homology. It may be computed by a fixed point formula, similar to the equivariant index theorem for Spin_c-Dirac operators. Using the formula, we calculate Q(M) in several examples.
We establish, via geometric quantization of the supercotangent bundle sM of (M,g), a correspondence between its conformal geometry and those of the spinor bundle. In particular, the Kosmann Lie derivative of spinors is obtained by quantization of the comoment map, associated to the new Hamiltonian action of conf(M,g) on sM. We study then the conf(M,g)-module structures induced on the space of differential operators acting on spinor densities and on its spaces of symbols (functions on sM). In the conformally flat case, we classify their conformal invariants, including the conformally odd powers…
We formulate a quantization commutes with reduction principle in the setting where the Lie group $G$, the symplectic manifold it acts on, and the orbit space of the action may all be noncompact. It is assumed that the action is proper, and the zero set of a deformation vector field, associated to the momentum map and an equivariant family of inner products on the Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$ of $G$, is $G$-cocompact. The central result establishes an asymptotic version of this quantization commutes with reduction principle. Using an equivariant family of inner products on $\mathfrak{g}$ instead …
We give a proof of Kontsevich's formality theorem for a general manifold using Fedosov resolutions of algebras of polydifferential operators and polyvector fields. The main advantage of our construction of the formality quasi-isomorphism is that it is based on the use of covariant tensors unlike Kontsevich's original proof, which is based on $\infty$-jets of polydifferential operators and polyvector fields. Using our construction we prove that if a group G acts smoothly on a manifold M and M admits a G-invariant affine connection then there exists a G-equivariant quasi-isomorphism of formality…
We prove the equivariant holomorphic Morse inequalities for a holomorphic torus action on a holomorphic vector bundle over a compact Kahler manifold when the fixed-point set is not necessarily discrete. Such inequalities bound the twisted Dolbeault cohomologies of the Kahler manifold in terms of those of the fixed-point set. We apply the inequalities to obtain relations of Hodge numbers of the connected components of the fixed-point set and the whole manifold. We also investigate the consequences in geometric quantization, especially in the context of symplectic cutting.
We define the unique (up to normalization) symbol map from the space of linear differential operators on $R^n$ to the space of polynomial on fibers functions on $T^* R^n$, equivariant with respect to the Lie algebra of projective transformations $sl_{n+1}\subset\Vect(R^n)$. We apply the constructed $sl_{n+1}$-invariant symbol to studying of the natural one-parameter family of $\Vect(M)$-modules on the space of linear differential operators on an arbitrary manifold M. Each of the $\Vect(M)$-action from this family can be interpreted as a deformation of the standard $\Vect(M)$-module $S(M)$ of s…
Let $(M,F)$ be a Finsler manifold. We construct a 1-cocycle on $\Diff(M)$ with values in the space of differential operators acting on sections of some bundles, by means of the Finsler function $F.$ As an operator, it has several expressions: in terms of the Chern, Berwald, Cartan or Hashiguchi connection, although its cohomology class does not depend on them. This cocycle is closely related to the conformal Schwarzian derivatives introduced in our previous work. The second main result of this paper is to discuss some properties of the conformally invariant quantization map by means of a Sazak…
Suppose that $(M,E)$ is a compact contact manifold, and that a compact Lie group $G$ acts on $M$ transverse to the contact distribution $E$. In an earlier paper, we defined a $G$-transversally elliptic Dirac operator $\dirac$, constructed using a Hermitian metric $h$ and connection $\nabla$ on the symplectic vector bundle $E\rightarrow M$, whose equivariant index is well-defined as a generalized function on $G$, and gave a formula for its index. By analogy with the geometric quantization of symplectic manifolds, the $\mathbb{Z}_2$-graded Hilbert space $Q(M)=\ker \dirac \oplus \ker \dirac^{*}$ …
In order to facilitate the comparison of Riemannian homogeneous spaces of compact Lie groups with noncommutative geometries ("quantizations") that approximate them, we develop here the basic facts concerning equivariant vector bundles and Dirac operators over them in a way that uses only global constructions and arguments. Our approach is quite algebraic, using primarily the modules of cross-sections of vector bundles. We carry the development through the construction of Hodge--Dirac operators. The inducing construction is ubiquitous.
We demonstrate that twisted equivariant differential K-theory of transverse complex curves accommodates exotic charges of the form expected of codimension=2 defect branes, such as of D7-branes in IIB/F-theory on A-type orbifold singularities, but also of their dual 3-brane defects of class-S theories on M5-branes. These branes have been argued, within F-theory and the AGT correspondence, to carry special SL(2)-monodromy charges not seen for other branes, but none of these had previously been identified in the expected brane charge quantization law given by K-theory. Here we observe that it is …
We construct a dynamical quantization for contact manifolds in terms of a flat connection acting on a Hilbert tractor bundle. We show that this contact quantization, which is independent of the choice of contact form, can be obtained by quantizing the Reeb dynamics of an ambient strict contact manifold equivariantly with respect to an R+-action. The contact quantization further determines a certain contact tractor connection whose parallel sections determine a distinguished choice of Reeb dynamics and their quantization. This relationship relies on tractor constructions from parabolic geometri…
Many mathematical models of physical phenomena that have been proposed in recent years require more general spaces than manifolds. When taking into account the symmetry group of the model, we get a reduced model on the (singular) orbit space of the symmetry group action. We investigate quantization of singular spaces obtained as leaf closure spaces of regular Riemannian foliations on compact manifolds. These contain the orbit spaces of compact group actions and orbifolds. Our method uses foliation theory as a desingularization technique for such singular spaces. A quantization procedure on the…
We give a formulation of a deformation of Dirac operator along orbits of a group action on a possibly non-compact manifold to get an equivariant index and a K-homology cycle representing the index. We apply this framework to non-compact Hamiltonian torus manifolds to define geometric quantization from the view point of index theory. We give two applications. The first one is a proof of a [Q,R]=0 type theorem, which can be regarded as a proof of the Vergne conjecture for Abelian case. The other is a Danilov-type formula for toric case in the non-compact setting, which shows that this geometric …
For an $S^{1}$-manifold with boundary, we prove a localization formula applying to any equivariant cohomology theory satisfying a certain algebraic condition. We show how the localization result of Kalkman and a case of the quantization commutes with reduction theorem follow easily from the localization formula.
