Index of differential-difference operators on an infinite cylinder (Q2146364)

This well-written, well-organized and well-illustrated paper provides a valuable contribution to the study of the Atiyah-Patodi-Singer (APS) rho invariant on the circle. The author provides an index theorem which equates the analytic and topological index maps for differential-difference operators on an infinite cylinder (Theorem 1). Here, the analytic index involves an APS type eta invariant and the main index formula is given within the framework of noncommutative geometry. The author's approach is analogous to that of Atiyah-Singer for their original index theorem. More explicitly, the method of proof of Theorem~1 consists of reducing the problem to the case of operators with constant coefficients and periodic boundary conditions using a homotopy argument, and than applying the multiplicative formulas for the above index maps.