Spectral and Hodge theory of ``Witt'' incomplete cusp edge spaces (Q2301917)

Let $M$ be a compact $n$-dimensional manifold, whose boundary $\partial M$ is the total space of a fibration $Z\to\partial M\xrightarrow{\pi} Y$, let $x:M\to \mathbb{R}$ be a defining function of its boundary. An incomplete cusp edge metric $g_{\mathrm{ice}}$ on $M$ has near the boundary $\partial M=\{x=0\}$ the local form \[ g_{\mathrm{ice}}=dx^2+x^{2k}g_Z+\pi^*g_Y+\widetilde g \] near the boundary, where $k>1$, $g_Y$ is a metric on $Y$ and $g_Z$ is positive definite when restricted to the fibers. The Weil-Petersson (WP) metric on the compactified Riemann moduli space $\mathcal{M}_{\gamma,\ell}$ (Riemann surfaces of genus $\gamma$ and with $\ell$ marked points) is an incomplete cusp edge metric (with $k=3$), see \textit{R. Mazzeo} and \textit{J. Swoboda} [Int. Math. Res. Not. 2017, No. 6, 1749--1786 (2017; Zbl 1405.32014)]; for the analysis on the Riemann moduli space, see the recent paper by \textit{K. Liu} et al. [Pure Appl. Math. Q. 10, No. 2, 223--243 (2014; Zbl 1307.32012)]. Hodge theory results established in this paper for $g_{\mathrm{ice}}$ metrics are hence valid for any WP metric. These results complete the spectral properties of the Laplacian operator on functions established by \textit{Ji} et al. [Comment. Math. Helv. 89, No. 4, 867--894 (2014; Zbl 1323.35119)]. Let $\Delta_{\mathrm{ice}}=d\delta+\delta g$ be the Hodge operator on smooth functions on the interior of $M$ (in the case of the Riemann moduli space, the domain must be adapted to some orbifold singularities), let $\mathcal{H}_{\mathrm{ice}}(M)= \{\alpha\in L^2(\Omega^*_{\mathrm{ice}}(M))|d\alpha=0, \delta\alpha=0\}$ be the harmonic $L^2$ forms space and let $IH_{\overline{\mathrm{m}}}(M_{\mathrm{stra}})$ be the middle perversity intersection cohomology of the stratified space $M_{\mathrm{stra}}$ obtained by collapsing the fibration $\partial M$ over $Y$: $M_{\mathrm{stra}}=M/\{p\sim q|p,q\in\partial M, \pi(p)=\pi(q)\}$. The main results of the paper are \begin{itemize} \item For each integer $d=0,\dots,n$, the Hodge Laplacian $\Delta^d_{\mathrm{ice}}$ on $d$-forms is essentially self-adjoint and has discrete spectrum $(\lambda_{j,d}),j\in\mathbb{N}$, with Weyl asymptotics $\#\{j|\lambda_{j,d}<\lambda\}=_{\lambda\to\infty}(2\pi)^{-n}v_n\mathrm{vol}(M_{\mathrm{ice}})\lambda^n(1+o(1))$ where $v_n$ is the volume of the $n$ dimensional unit euclidean ball. \item The $L^2$ harmonic forms obey $\mathcal{H}_{\mathrm{ice}}(M)= \{\alpha\in L^2(\Omega^*_{\mathrm{ice}}(M))|\Delta_{\mathrm{ice}}\alpha=0\}$. \item There is a natural isomorphism $\mathcal{H}_{\mathrm{ice}}(M)\simeq IH_{\overline{\mathrm{m}}}(M_{\mathrm{stra}})$. \end{itemize} These results are proved under the condition $k\ge 3$ and a Witt type condition ($Z$ is odd dimensional or with null cohomology in middle degree. Witt spaces have been introduced by \textit{P. H. Siegel} [Am. J. Math. 105, 1067--1105 (1983; Zbl 0547.57019)]). The main tool to achieve these results is the construction of the fundamental solution to the heat operator $\mathrm{e}^{-t\Delta_{\mathrm{isc}}}$, whose kernel is defined on an appropriate blowup $M^2_{\mathrm{heat}}\to M\times M\times \mathbb{R}$. The crucial, and very accurate, analysis of the heat kernel restriction to the boundary hypersurfaces is similar to the construction used by \textit{E. A. Mooers} [J. Anal. Math. 78, 1--36 (1999; Zbl 0981.58022)]; it has been achieved in the geometric microlocal analysis framework set up by \textit{R. B. Melrose} [Int. Math. Res. Not. 1992, No. 3, 51--61 (1992; Zbl 0754.58035)]. Bounds on the growth of $L^2$ harmonic forms at the singular set are established before proving the Hodge theorems above.