We define the equivariant family index of a family of elliptic operators invariant with respect to the free action of a bundle $\GR$ of Lie groups. If the fibers of $\GR \to B$ are simply-connected solvable, we then compute the Chern character of the (equivariant family) index, the result being given by an Atiyah-Singer type formula. We also study traces on the corresponding algebras of pseudodifferential operators and obtain a local index formula for such families of invariant operators, using the Fedosov product. For topologically non-trivial bundles we have to use methods of non-commutative geometry. We discuss then as an application the construction of ``higher-eta invariants,'' which are morphisms $K_n(\PsS {\infty}Y) \to \CC$. The algebras of invariant pseudodifferential operators that we study, $\Psm {\infty}Y$ and $\PsS {\infty}Y$, are generalizations of ``parameter dependent'' algebras of pseudodifferential operators (with parameter in $\RR^q$), so our results provide also an index theorem for elliptic, parameter dependent pseudodifferential operators.
The notion of a gerbe with connection is conveniently reformulated in terms of the simplicial deRham complex. In particular the usual Chern-Weil and Chern-Simons theory is well adapted to this framework and rather easily gives rise to `characteristic gerbes' associated to families of bundles and connections. In turn this gives invariants for families of foliated bundles. A special case is the Quillen line bundle associated to families of flat SU(2)-bundles
We offer a new approach to proving the Chen-Donaldson-Sun theorem which we demonstrate with a series of examples. We discuss the existence of a construction of a special metric on stable vector bundles over the surfaces formed by a families of curves and its relation to the one-dimensional cycles in the moduli space of stable bundles on curves.
Manifolds with fibered hyperbolic cusp metrics include hyperbolic manifolds with cusps and locally symmetric spaces of Q-rank one. We extend Vaillant's treatment of Dirac-type operators associated to these metrics by weaking the hypotheses on the boundary families through the use of Fredholm perturbations as in the family index theorem of Melrose and Piazza and by treating the index of families of such operators. We also extend the index theorem of Moroianu and Leichtnam-Mazzeo-Piazza to families of perturbed Dirac-type operators associated to fibered cusp metrics (sometimes known as fibered b…
We discuss some aspects of index and secondary index theory for flat bundles with duality. This theory was first developed by J. Lott. Our main purpose in the present paper is to provide a modification with better functorial properties.
The first goal of the article is to solve several fundamental problems in the theory of holomorphic bundles over non-algebraic manifolds: For instance we prove that stability and semi-stability are Zariski open properties in families when the Gauduchon degree map is a topological invariant, or when the parameter manifold is compact. Second we show that, for a generically stable family of bundles over a Kähler manifold, the Petersson-Weil form extends as a closed positive current on the whole parameter space of the family. This extension theorem uses classical tools from Yang-Mills theory devel…
In this paper we study the deformation problem of pairs consisting of a Riemann surface and a holomorphic line bundle over that surface, and also sections thereof. We emphasize a constructive approach throughout and work and use covering space techniques. In particular, we also describe the limits of such degenerations as the boundary of Teichmüller space is approached, and review the construction of augmented Teichmüller space in great detail.
Given a holomorphic vector bundle $E$ on the twistor space $\mathrm{Tw}(M)$ of a simple hyperkähler manifold $M$, we view it as a family of bundles $\left\{E_I\right\}$ on the fibres $π^{-1}(I)$ of the twistor projection $π: \mathrm{Tw}(M) \to \mathbb{CP}^1$, and study the relationship between stability of $E$ and its fibrewise stability. We verify that the argument of Teleman establishing the Zariski openness of stability and semi-stability in families of bundles applies in the case of the family $\left\{E_I\right\}$. We prove a partial converse to a result of Kaledin and Verbitsky, showing t…
We associate to a parametrized family $f$ of nonlinear Fredholm maps possessing a trivial branch of zeroes an {\it index of bifurcation} $β(f)$ which provides an algebraic measure for the number of bifurcation points from the trivial branch. The index $β(f)$ is derived from the index bundle of the linearization of the family along the trivial branch by means of the generalized $J$-homomorphism. Using the Agranovich reduction and a cohomological form of the Atiyah-Singer family index theorem, due to Fedosov, we compute the bifurcation index of a multiparameter family of nonlinear elliptic bound…
We study families of Dirac-type operators, with compatible perturbations, associated to wedge metrics on stratified spaces. We define a closed domain and, under an assumption of invertible boundary families, prove that the operators are self-adjoint and Fredholm with compact resolvents and trace-class heat kernels. We establish a formula for the Chern character of their index.
The Chow-Mumford (CM) line bundle is a functorial line bundle on the base of any family of klt Fano varieties. It is conjectured that it yields a polarization on the moduli space of K-poly-stable klt Fano varieties. Proving ampleness of the CM line bundle boils down to showing semi-positivity/positivity statements about the CM-line bundle for families with K-semi-stable/K-polystable fibers. We prove the necessary semi-positivity statements in the K-semi-stable situation, and the necessary positivity statements in the uniform K-stable situation, including in both cases variants assuming K-stabi…
In a previous work, the authors introduced the notion of `coherent tangent bundle', which is useful for giving a treatment of singularities of smooth maps without ambient spaces. Two different types of Gauss-Bonnet formulas on coherent tangent bundles on 22-dimensional manifolds were proven, and several applications to surface theory were given. Let $M^n$ ($n\ge 2$) be an oriented compact $n$-manifold without boundary and $TM^n$ its tangent bundle. Let $\mathcal E$ be a vector bundle of rank $n$ over $M^n$, and $φ:TM^n\to \mathcal E$ an oriented vector bundle homomorphism. In this paper, we sh…
We consider a generalisation of the Seiberg-Witten invariant to the families Seiberg-Witten invariants of a smooth family of 4-manifolds with fibres diffeomorphic to a 4-manifold $X$. Of particular interest is the special case when the family has a smoothly varying Kähler structure. We obtain a general computation of the invariants when $b_1=0$ in terms of characteristic classes of some vector bundles corresponding to the cohomology groups of holomorphic line bundles of the family. Finally, we apply the formula to some examples of Kähler families where some more further explicit computations c…
It is shown that the determinant line bundle associated to a family of Dirac operators over a closed partitioned manifold has a canonical Hermitian metric with compatible connection whose curvature satisfies an additivity formula with contributions from the families of Dirac operators over the two halves. This curvature form is the natural differential representative which satisifies the same splitting principle as the Chern class of the determinant line bundle.
We study natural families of d-bar operators on the moduli space of stable parabolic vector bundles. Applying a families index theorem for hyperbolic cusp operators from our previous work, we find formulae for the Chern characters of the associated index bundles. The contributions from the cusps are explicitly expressed in terms of the Chern characters of natural vector bundles related to the parabolic structure. We show that our result implies formulae for the Chern classes of the associated determinant bundles consistent with a result of Takhtajan and Zograf.
Using Hitchin's parameterization of the Hitchin-Teichmüller component of the $SL(n,\mathbb{R})$ representation variety, we study the asymptotics of certain families of representations. In fact, for certain Higgs bundles in the $SL(n,\mathbb{R})$-Hitchin component, we study the asymptotics of the Hermitian metric solving the Higgs bundle equations. This analysis is used to estimate the asymptotics of the corresponding family of flat connections as we scale the differentials by a real parameter. We consider Higgs fields that have only one holomorphic differential $q_n$ of degree $n$ or $q_{n-1}$…
For smooth families of projective algebraic curves, we extend the notion of intersection pairing of metrized line bundles to a pairing on line bundles with flat relative connections. In this setting, we prove the existence of a canonical and functorial "intersection" connection on the Deligne pairing. A relationship is found with the holomorphic extension of analytic torsion, and in the case of trivial fibrations we show that the Deligne isomorphism is flat with respect to the connections we construct. Finally, we give an application to the construction of a meromorphic connection on the hyper…
Donaldson has shown that the moduli space of monopoles $M_k$ is diffeomorphic to the space $\Rat_k$ of based rational maps from the two-sphere to itself. We use this diffeomorphism to give an explicit description of the bundle on $\Rat_k$ obtained by pushing out the index bundle from $M_k$. This gives an alternative and more explicit proof of some earlier results of Cohen and Jones.
Recently, for a family of ungraded Dirac operators over some space $B$ J. Lott constructed an index gerbe. In the present paper we show (in analogy to the holonomy formula for the determinant bundle in the graded case) that the holonomy of the index gerbe (a priori a hermitean line bundle with connection over the free loop space $LB$) coincides with an adiabatic limit of determinant bundles of an associated family of graded Dirac operators over $LB$.
Let $(E,\overline{\partial}_E,θ)$ be a stable Higgs bundle of degree $0$ on a compact connected Riemann surface. Once we fix the flat metric $h_{\det(E)}$ on the determinant of $E$, we have the harmonic metrics $h_t$ $(t>0)$ for the stable Higgs bundles $(E,\overline{\partial}_E,tθ)$ such that $\det(h_t)=h_{\det(E)}$. We study the behaviour of $h_t$ when $t$ goes to $\infty$. First, we show that the Hitchin equation is asymptotically decoupled under the assumption that the Higgs field is generically regular semisimple. We apply it to the study of the so called Hitchin WKB-problem. Second, we s…
Almost flat finitely generated projective Hilbert C*-module bundles were successfully used by Hanke and Schick to prove special cases of the Strong Novikov Conjecture. Dadarlat later showed that it is possible to calculate the index of a K-homology class $η\in K_*(M)$ twisted with an almost flat bundle in terms of the image of $η$ under Lafforgue's assembly map and the almost representation associated to the bundle. Mishchenko used flat infinite-dimensional bundles equipped with a Fredholm operator in order to prove special cases of the Novikov higher signature conjecture. We show how to gener…
We compute the equivariant cohomology Chern character of the index of elliptic operators along the leaves of the foliation of a flat bundle. The proof is based on the study of certain algebras of pseudodifferential operators and uses techniques for analizing noncommutative algebras similar to those developed in Algebraic Topology, but in the framework of cyclic cohomology and noncommutative geometry.
In this paper, we first prove a Donaldson-Uhlenbeck-Yau theorem over projective normal varieties smooth in codimension two. As a consequence we deduce the polystability of (dual) tensor products of stable reflexive sheaves, and we give a new proof of the Bogomolov-Gieseker inequality, along with a precise characterization of the case of equality. This also improves several previously known algebro-geometric results on normalized tautological classes. We study the limiting behavior of semistable bundles over a degenerating family of projective normal varieties. In the case of a family of stable…
We discuss the behaviour of the signature index class of closed foliated bundles under the operation of cutting and pasting. Along the way we establish several index theoretic results: we define Atiyah-Patodi-Singer (APS) index classes for Dirac-type operators on foliated bundles with boundary; we prove a relative index theorem for the difference of two APS-index classes associated to different boundary conditions; we prove a gluing formula on closed foliated bundles that are the union of two foliated bundles with boundary; we establish a variational formula for APS-index classes of a 1-parame…
The purpose of this paper is to give a proof of the real part of the Riemann-Roch-Grothendieck theorem for complex flat vector bundles at the differential form level in the even dimensional fiber case. The proof is, roughly speaking, an application of the local family index theorem for a perturbed twisted spin Dirac operator, a variational formula of the Bismut-Cheeger eta form without the kernel bundle assumption in the even dimensional fiber case, and some properties of the Cheeger-Chern-Simons class of complex flat vector bundle.
We give a superconnection proof of the cohomological form of Mathai-Melrose-Singer index theorem for the family of twisted Dirac operators under relaxed conditions.
Extending ideas of Atiyah--Bott--Shapiro and Quillen, we construct a model for differential $\rm KO$-theory whose cocycles are families of Clifford modules with superconnection. The model is built to accommodate an analytic pushforward for bundles of spin manifolds, affording a differential refinement of Atiyah and Singer's families index.
We apply the equivariance --> families principle to a geometric family of Clifford module bundles with an action of a compact Lie group G to prove an equivariant version of Bismut's families index theorem on the differential Borel quotient of the geometric family.
In the first part of this paper, given a smooth family of Dirac-type operators on an odd-dimensional closed manifold, we construct an abelian gerbe-with-connection whose curvature is the three-form component of the Atiyah-Singer families index theorem. In the second part of the paper, given a smooth family of Dirac-type operators whose index lies in the i-th filtration of the reduced K-theory of the parametrizing space, we construct a set of Deligne cohomology class of degree i whose curvatures are the i-form component of the Atiyah-Singer families index theorem.
A families index theorem in K-theory is given for the setting of Atiyah, Patodi and Singer of a family of Dirac operators with spectral boundary condition. This result is deduced from such a K-theory index theorem for the calculus of cusp, or more generally fibred cusp, pseudodifferential operators on the fibres (with boundary) of a fibration; a version of Poincare duality is also shown in this setting, identifying the stable Fredholm families with elements of a bivariant K-group.
This is the final part of the work started in math.DG/0611281 and math.DG/0703916. Here the question of double fibration ois adressed both for relative k-theory and free multiplicative K-theory. In the case of relative and ``nonfree'' multiplicative K-theory, the direct image is proved to be functorial for double submersions.
An index theory for projective families of elliptic pseudodifferential operators is developed. The topological and the analytic index of such a family both take values in twisted K-theory of the parametrizing space, X. The main result is the equality of these two notions of index when the twisting class is in the torsion subgroup of H^3(X;Z). The Chern character of the index class is then computed.
The set of Clifford bundles of bounded geometry over open manifolds can be endowed with a metrizable uniform structure. For one fixed bundle $E$ we define the generalized component $\gencomp (E)$ as the set of Clifford bundles $E'$ which have finite distance to $E$. If $D$, $D'$ are the associated generalized Dirac operators, we prove for the pair $(D,D')$ relative index theorems, define relative $ζ$-- and $η$--functions, relative determinants and in the case of $D=Δ$ relative analytic torsion. To define relative $ζ$-- and $η$--functions, we assume additionally that the essential spectrum of $…
An index theory for projective families of elliptic pseudodifferential operators is developed when the twisting, i.e. Dixmier-Douady, class is decomposable. One of the features of this special case is that the corresponding Azumaya bundle can be realized in terms of smoothing operators. The topological and the analytic index of a projective family of elliptic operators both take values in the twisted K-theory of the parameterizing space. The main result is the equality of these two notions of index. The twisted Chern character of the index class is then computed by a variant of Chern-Weil theo…
We study primary and secondary invariants of leafwise Dirac operators on foliated bundles. Given such an operator, we begin by considering the associated regular self-adjoint operator $D_m$ on the maximal Connes-Skandalis Hilbert module and explain how the functional calculus of $D_m$ encodes both the leafwise calculus and the monodromy calculus in the corresponding von Neumann algebras. When the foliation is endowed with a holonomy invariant transverse measure, we explain the compatibility of various traces and determinants. We extend Atiyah's index theorem on Galois coverings to these foliat…
Mathai, Melrose, and Singer introduced the notion of projective elliptic operators on manifolds equipped with an Azumaya bundle. In this note we compute the equivariant index of transversally elliptic operators that are the pullback of projective elliptic operators on the trivialization of the Azumaya bundle. It encompasses the fractional index formula of projective elliptic operator by Mathai-Melrose-Singer.
We develop a categorical index calculus for elliptic symbol families. The categorified index problems we consider are a secondary version of the traditional problem of expressing the index class in K-theory in terms of differential-topological data. They include orientation problems for moduli spaces as well as similar problems for skew-adjoint and self-adjoint operators. The main result of this paper is an excision principle which allows the comparison of categorified index problems on different manifolds. Excision is a powerful technique for actually solving the orientation problem; applicat…
The use of bundle gerbes and bundle gerbe modules is considered as a replacement for the usual theory of Clifford modules on manifolds that fail to be spin. It is shown that both sides of the Atiyah-Singer index formula for coupled Dirac operators can be given natural interpretations using this language and that the resulting formula is still an identity.
We compute explicitly, and without any extra regularity assumptions, the large time limit of the fibrewise heat operator for Bismut-Lott type superconnections in the L^2-setting. This is motivated by index theory on certain non-compact spaces (families of manifolds with cocompact group action) where the convergence of the heat operator at large time implies refined L^2-index formulas. As applications, we prove a local L^2-index theorem for families of signature operators and an L^2-Bismut-Lott theorem, expressing the Becker-Gottlieb transfer of flat bundles in terms of Kamber-Tandeur classes. …
Using heat kernel methods developed by Vaillant, a local index formula is obtained for families of d-bar operators on the Teichmuller universal curve of Riemann surfaces of genus g with n punctures. The formula also holds on the moduli space M{g,n} in the sense of orbifolds where it can be written in terms of Mumford-Morita-Miller classes. The degree two part of the formula gives the curvature of the corresponding determinant line bundle equipped with the Quillen connection, a result originally obtained by Takhtajan and Zograf.
We prove the index theorem for elliptic operators acting on sections of bundles where fiber is equal to a projective module over a C*-algebra, in the situation of action of a compact Lie group on this algebra as well as on the total space commuting with symbol. As an application the equivariant index theorem for families over the direct product of base by the space of parameters is obtained.
We introduce a differential geometric framework for describing families of quantum error-correcting codes and for understanding quantum fault tolerance. This work unifies the notion of topological fault tolerance with fault tolerance in other kinds of quantum error-correcting codes. In particular, we use fibre bundles with a natural flat projective connection to study the transformation of codewords under unitary fault-tolerant evolutions. We show that the fault-tolerant logical operations are given by the monodromy group for either of two bundles, both of which have flat projective connection…
The goal of this paper is to apply the universal gerbe of \cite{CMi1} and \cite{CMi2} to give an alternative, simple and more unified view of the relationship between index theory and gerbes. We discuss determinant bundle gerbes \cite{CMMi1} and the index gerbe of \cite{L} for the case of families of Dirac operators on odd dimensional closed manifolds. The method also works for a family of Dirac operators on odd dimensional manifolds with boundary, for a pair of Melrose-Piazza's $Cl(1)$-spectral sections for a family of Dirac operators on even dimensional closed manifolds with vanishing index …
We introduce several families of filtrations on the space of vector bundles over a smooth projective variety. These filtrations are defined using the large k asymptotics of the kernel of the Dolbeault Dirac operator on a bundle twisted by the kth power of an ample line bundle. The filtrations measure the failure of the bundle to admit a holomorphic structure. We study compatibility under the Chern isomorphism of these filtrations with the Hodge filtration on cohomology.
