Spectral sections and higher Atiyah-Patodi-Singer index theory on Galois coverings (Q1380475)

The paper contains proofs of the results announced by the authors [\textit{E. Leichtnam} and \textit{P. Piazza}, C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. I, Math. 325, 399-404 (1997; Zbl 0896.58061)]. It has to be seen in connection with their first paper [Mem. Soc. Math. Fr., Nouv. Ser. 68, 123 p. (1997)]. In the present paper, the authors treat again the higher \(\Gamma\)-Atiyah-Patodi-Singer index theorem for Dirac operators on Galois coverings with boundary conditions given by spectral sections. Now the additional assumption of the previous paper that the boundary operator has a spectral gap near zero is removed.