\(\eta\)-invariant and Chern-Simons current (Q1774257)

The article under review proves a remarkable geometric formula for the eta invariant (modulo \(\mathbb Z\)) of a Dirac operator on an odd-dimensional spin manifold. More precisely, let \(Y\) be an odd-dimensional closed oriented spin Riemannian manifold and let \(\mu\) be a Hermitian vector bundle over \(Y\) with a Hermitian connection. Then one can define a canonical Dirac operator \[ D : \Gamma(S(TY) \otimes \mu) \to \Gamma(S(TY) \otimes \mu) \] where \(S(TY)\) is the bundle of spinors. The paper under review finds a geometric formula for the reduced eta invariant \(\overline{\eta}(D)\) modulo \(\mathbb Z\). Here, by definition, \[ \overline{\eta}(D) = \frac{\eta(0,D) + \dim \ker D}{2}, \] where \(\eta(0,D)\) is value at zero of the meromorphic continuation of the Atiyah-Patodi-Singer eta function \(\eta(s,D)\), which is defined for \(\Re s \gg 0\) by \[ \eta(s,D) = \sum_{\lambda_n > 0} \frac{1}{\lambda_n^s} - \sum_{\lambda_n < 0} \frac{1}{| \lambda_n| ^s} , \] where \(\{\lambda_n\}\) denotes the eigenvalues of \(D\). Since the reduced eta invariant is non-local, the geometric formula the author proves is quite remarkable. The geometric formula is described as follows. We can always obtain a totally geodesic embedding \(Y \hookrightarrow \mathbb{S}^{2n - 1}\) into some sphere (in particular, the sphere may not have its standard metric, in order that this embedding be totally geodesic). The author then goes through the geometric construction of the Atiyah-Hirzebruch direct image of \(\mu\) into \(\widetilde{K}(\mathbb{S}^{2n-1})\) to obtain a natural \(\mathbb{Z}_2\)-graded Hermitian vector bundle \(\xi_+ \oplus \xi_-\) with Hermitian connection and a corresponding odd self-adjoint endomorphism \(V\) of \(\xi\). Moreover, since \(\widetilde{K}(\mathbb{S}^{2n-1}) = 0\) there exists a trivial complex vector bundle \(\theta\) over \(\mathbb{S}^{2n-1}\) such that \(\theta \oplus \xi^+ \cong \theta \oplus \xi^-\). Equip \(\theta\) with a Hermitian metric and connection. Let \(\widetilde{\xi} = \widetilde{\xi}_+\oplus\widetilde{\xi}_-\) be the vector bundle over \(\mathbb{S}^{2n - 1}\) where \[ \widetilde{\xi}_+ = \xi_+ \oplus \theta \oplus \xi_-,\quad \widetilde{\xi}_- = \xi_- \oplus \theta \oplus \xi_+ \] with the direct sum Hermitian metric and connection. Let \(\widetilde{V} = V \oplus W^T\), where \(W\) is an odd self-adjoint automorphism of \((\theta \oplus \xi_+) \oplus (\theta \oplus \xi_-)\). Finally, let \(\gamma^{\widetilde{\xi}, \widetilde{V}}\) be the associated Chern-Simons current. The author proves that \[ \overline{\eta}(D) \equiv - \int_{\mathbb{S}^{2n - 1}} \hat{A}(T \mathbb{S}^{2n - 1})\, \gamma^{\widetilde{\xi}, \widetilde{V}}\qquad \text{modulo \(\mathbb Z\)}, \] where \(\hat{A}(T \mathbb{S}^{2n - 1}, \nabla^{T \mathbb{S}^{2n - 1}})\) is the \(\hat{A}\)-polynomial in the curvature of \(\mathbb{S}^{2n - 1}\) with respect to the metric for which \(Y \hookrightarrow \mathbb{S}^{2n - 1}\) is totally geodesic.