Eta invariants and class numbers (Q1022830)

Let \(M\) be a compact flat Riemannian manifold of odd dimension \(n=3+4k\) which has cyclic holonomy group of odd prime order \(p\) with a fixed spin structure. Let \(\eta(s)\) be the eta series associated to the Dirac operator \(D\); \[ \eta(s):=\sum_{\lambda\neq0,\lambda\in\text{Spec}(D)}\text{sign}(\lambda)|\lambda|^{-s}\,. \] This converges for \(\text{Re}(s)>>0\) and has a meromorphic extension to the complex plane with isolated simple poles on the real axis. Since the residues at the poles can be computed in terms of curvature and since the metric is flat, \(\eta(s)\) is entire -- there are no poles for these examples. The value \(\eta(0)\) is a measure of the spectral asymmetry of the Dirac operator that plays a crucial role in the index theorem for manifolds with boundary, in various \(K\)-theory calculations, in equivariant bordism calculations, etc.; it has many applications. The authors show that \(\eta(s)=e(s)L(s,\chi)\) where \(e(s)\) is a linear combination of exponentials, \(\chi\) is the quadratic character associated to the Legendre symbol, and \(L(s,\chi)\) is a Dirichlet \(L\) function. Alternatively, they can be written as linear combinations of differences of Hurwitz zeta functions, with coefficients given by the Legendre symbols. The corresponding eta invariants are expresssed in terms of class numbers of imaginary quadratic fields.