Metrics with positive scalar curvature at infinity and localization algebra (Q2044105)

Based on Atiyah-Singer index theorem and Lichnerowicz formula, one can reach the conclusion that ``if there exists a positive scalar curvature metric on a compact spin manifold, then the Fredholm index of \(D\) on this manifold vanishes'', where \(D\) is the Dirac operator. Block and Weinberger proved the following generalization by \(KK\)-theory. Theorem. Let \((M,g)\) be an \(n\)-dimensional complete noncompact Riemannian spin manifold with fundamental group \(\Gamma\). Assume that \(g\) is a metric of bounded geometry. Let \(f:M\to\mathbb R\) be a proper smooth function. If the scalar curvature \(k\) of \(g\) satisfies \(k\geq k_0>0\) off a compact set \(M_1\), then the higher index of the Dirac operator on \(N=f^{-1}(t_0)\neq 0\), where \(t_0\) is a sufficiently large positive regular value of \(f\), is trivial in \(K_{n-1}(C^*_r(\Gamma))\). This paper gave another proof of this result. The new proof depends on a coarse index approach introduced by Guoliang Yu. In general, assume \(M\) is an \(n\)-dimensional complete noncompact manifold with fundamental group \(\Gamma\). Let \(H\) be a discrete group and \(M_H\) be an \(H\) Galois covering space of \(M\). Let \(D_M\) and \(D_{M_H}\) be the Dirac operator and the lifted Dirac operator on \(M\) and \(M_H\) respectively. Then, \(D_M\) can define a \(K\)-homology class in \(K_*(C^*_L(M_H)^H)\), where \(C_L^*(M_H)^H\) is the \(H\)-equivariant localization algebra of \(M_H\). In this place, the authors used Guoliang Yu's localization algebra approach to understand the \(K\)-homology class of \(D_M\). Through the evaluation map \(\mathrm{ev}:C^*_L(M_H)^H\to C^*(M_H)^H\), the equivariant coarse index of \(D_M\) is defined as \[ \mathrm{Ind}(D_M)=\mathrm{ev}_*(D_M). \] In addition, let \(f:M\to\mathbb R\) be a smooth proper function. For a regular value \(t_0\) of \(f\), let \(N=f^{-1}(t_0)\). \(N\) is a compact \((n-1)\)-dimensional submanifold of \(M\). Then in Theorem 3.1, the authors proved that \(\alpha\circ\partial_n[D_M]=[D_N]\), where \(\partial_n\) is the boundary map in the Mayer-Vietoris sequence and \(\alpha\) is the composition of isomorphisms induced by certain natural diffeomorphism and embedding. To complete the proof, one needs to compute \(\mathrm{Ind}(D_N)=\mathrm{ev}_*(\alpha\circ\partial_n(D_M))\). With the help of the following commutative diagram \[ \begin{tikzcd} K_{n-1}(C^*_L(\tilde{M}_{r_1\leq f\leq r_2})^\Gamma) \ar[d, "{\mathrm{ev}_*}" ']\ar[r, "\alpha"] & K_{n-1}(C^*_L(\tilde{N})^\Gamma)\ar[d, "{\mathrm{ev}_*}"] \\ K_{n-1}(C^*(\tilde{M}_{r_1\leq f\leq r_2})^\Gamma) \ar[r, "{\bar{\alpha}}" '] & K_{n-1}(C^*(\tilde{N})^\Gamma) \end{tikzcd} \] the computation became \[ \mathrm{Ind}(D_N)=\bar{\alpha}\circ\mathrm{ev}_*\circ\partial_n(D_M). \] On page 183 and page 184, \(\partial_0(D_M)\) and \(\partial_1(D_M)\) were explicitly computed for even and odd cases. By careful calculation and selection, authors proved in Theorem 4.1 that \(\mathrm{ev}_*\circ\partial_n(D_M)\) is trivial in \(K_{n-1}(C^*(\tilde{M}_{r_1\leq f\leq r_2})^\Gamma)\). Therefore, \begin{align*} \mathrm{Ind}(D_N)&=\mathrm{ev}_*(\alpha\circ\partial_n(D_M))\\ &=\bar{\alpha}\circ\mathrm{ev}_*\circ\partial_n(D_M)\\ &=\bar{\alpha}(0)\\ &=0\in K_{n-1}(C^*(\tilde{N})^\Gamma). \end{align*} As pointed out, because \(N\) is compact, \(K_{n-1}(C^*(\tilde{N})^\Gamma)\cong K_{n-1}(C_r^*(\Gamma))\) and the equivariant coarse index is equal to the higher index of \(D_N\). The proof ended.