Derivation of index theorems by localization of path integrals (Q1902450)

There is by now a rich literature on the concept of ``localization of path integrals'', first introduced by Duistermaat and Heckman in 1982, i.e., by detecting a hidden supersymmetry one shows that a given path integral reduces to an ordinary integral (or an infinite sum). It seems that equivariant cohomology is central to understanding the principle of localization. This article reviews certain examples of phase space path integrals of supersymmetric type leading to the derivation of the Atiyah-Singer and Callias index theorems. The essential difference between the two is that in the Callias case one needs to make use of a superloop space, while in the Atiyah-Singer case one gets away with an ordinary loop space.