Singularities of the analytic torsion (Q1898057)

A deformation of a given elliptic complex over a closed smooth manifold \(M\) determines a one-parameter family of chain complexes. Using the concept of germ-complex, this can be understood as a single complex. A Hodge-type decomposition theorem for the germ-complex is proved, based on the Rellich-Kato perturbation theorem of selfadjoint operators. The cohomology of the germ-complex of a deformation is called the germ-cohomology. Let \(\tau^i\) denote its torsion submodule. Then the Euler number of the deformation is defined as \[ \chi= \sum_{i\geq 0} (- 1)^i\dim_C\tau^i. \] The type of the local singularity of the analytic torsion is completely determined by this Euler number: more precisely, the function \(\rho(t)|t|^\chi\) is real-analytic in a neighbourhood of 0. Here \(\rho\) denotes the analytic torsion.