The Pfaffian line bundle (Q1201407)

The author analyzes the holomorphic Pfaffian line bundle over an infinite dimensional isotropic Grassmannian manifold. The article starts with recalling the construction of the Grassmannian manifold of a polarized infinite dimensional Hilbert space, its complex structure, and the definition of the holomorphic determinant line bundle. If the Hilbert space has a real structure it is possible to define the associated isotropic Grassmannian which is a submanifold of the general Grassmannian. Over this submanifold it is possible to define the Pfaffian line bundle as the unique (up to isomorphy) holomorphic square root of the determinant line bundle. An essential technique is the use of the fact that the isotropic Grassmannian has a dense nested sequence of submanifolds \(O_{2n}/U_ n\) for \(n\to\infty\). Using the holomorphic sections of the dual of the Pfaffian line bundle a Fock space representation of an infinite cyclic covering of the restricted (infinite) orthogonal group is constructed. Relations to loop groups and to the square root of the Quillen determinant line bundle over the moduli space of smooth algebraic curves with spin structures (introduced by Freed) are given. For the latter the Krichever map relating coverings of these moduli spaces and the infinite Grassmannian is used.