Analytic and Reidemeister torsion for representations in finite type Hilbert modules (Q1125863)

Let \(M\) be a closed Riemannian manifold. Given a unitary representation of its fundamental group \(\pi\) on a Hilbert \(\mathcal A\)-module \(V\) of finite type for a finite von Neumann algebra \(\mathcal A\), \(L^2\)-analytic torsion and \(L^2\)-topological torsion for \(M\) with coefficients in \(V\) are defined, provided that \((M,V)\) is of determinant-class. The main result of this paper is that both notions agree. In the special case \({\mathcal A}=\mathbb{C}\), the two notions above reduce to the classical notion of analytic torsion and Milnor-Reidemeister-torsion and the main result reduces to the theorem of Cheeger and Müller. The main technical device is the generalization of classical results and notions for coefficients in a unitary finite dimensional representation to coefficients in a representation in a Hilbert module of finite type over a finite von Neumann algebra \(\mathcal A\). A typical example is the left regular representation of the fundamental group. A calculus of elliptic pseudodifferential \(\mathcal A\)-operators acting on the sections of a bundle of Hilbert \(\mathcal A\)-modules of finite type over a compact Riemannian manifold is introduced and a theory of regularized determinants for nonnegative elliptic pseudodifferential \(\mathcal A\)-operators of positive order is developed. The strategy of proof of the equality is based on a Witten deformation of the Laplace operator with coefficients in a Hilbert \(\mathcal A\)-module of finite type generalizing the work of Helffer and Sjöstrand. The effect of the deformation is a splitting of the spectrum into a small and large part and the small part corresponds to the combinatorial counterpart.