Analytic surgery and the eta invariant (Q1842578)

This paper considers an odd dimensional compact spin manifold \(M\) with an embedded hypersurface \(H\) defined by a quadratic function \(x^2 \in C^\infty (M)\). Starting with a fixed metric \(h\) on \(M\), one forms a metric \[ g_\varepsilon = {|dx |^2 \over x^2 + \varepsilon^2} + h \] with parameter \(\varepsilon > 0\) and the associated Dirac operator. The limit metric \(g_0\) is a metric on the compact manifold with boundary \(\overline M\) obtained by cutting \(M\) along \(H\), where \(\partial \overline M\) is a double cover of \(H\). Assuming the Dirac operator on the double cover to be invertible, the authors obtain a formula for the eta invariant of the Dirac operator associated to \(g_\varepsilon\).