The Chern-Connes character for the Dirac operator on manifolds with boundary (Q690345)

The author studies the index theorem for the twisted Dirac operator on a bounded manifold with global boundary conditions in the setting of noncommutative differential geometry. Let \(N\) be a compact spin manifold, \(S\) the spinor bundle of \(N\), and let \(E\) be a Hermitian vector bundle over \(N\). The twisted Dirac operator \(D_ E\) acs on the Hilbert space of \(L^ 2\)-sections of \(S\otimes E\). The author defines the higher \(\eta\)- cochain for \(D_ E\) as a sequence of cochains in the bicomplex of \(C^ \infty(N)\). If \(N\) is odd dimensional, the classical \(\eta\)-invariant of Atiyah-Patodi-Singer is detected as the {0-th} cochain evaluated on the constant function 1. This \(\eta\)-cochain is related to the transgressed Chern character, introduced by \textit{A. Connes} and \textit{H. Moscovici} [C.R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. I 303, 913-918 (1986; Zbl 0617.46075)]. Now let \(N\) be boundary of the even dimensional spin manifold \(M\), endowed with a metric which is a product in a collar neighborhood of \(N\). In this case a cochain in the bicomplex of an appropriate subalgebra of the continuous functions on \(M\) is introduced, which is associated to the twisted Dirac operator \(D_ E\). It is defined using the \(\widehat{A}\)- polynomial of \(M\), the Chern character of \(E\) and a boundary correction term, which is given by the \(\eta\)-invariant cochain of the boundary. This cochain is called the Chern-Connes character for \(D_ E\). If \(D_ E\) is invertible it is shown to be closed. The author considers the Dirac operator \(D_ \varepsilon\) acting on the \(L^ 2\)-spinors on \(M\cup C_ \varepsilon(N)\), obtained by attaching a cone \(C_ \varepsilon(N)\) of length \(1/\varepsilon\) along the boundary \(N\). If \(p\) is an idempotent in an appropriate matrix algebra which satisfies some additional assumptions the index of \(D_{\varepsilon,p} = p D_ \varepsilon p\) is defined and independent of \(\varepsilon\). The index of \(D_{\varepsilon,p}\) is computed from a pairing of the Chern-Connes cocycle and the Chern character of the idempotent \(p\) in cyclic homology.