On the index of nonlocal elliptic operators corresponding to a nonisometric diffeomorphism (Q2435862)

This article is a study on the index of a type of nonlocal elliptic operators on a closed manifold \(X\) of the form of a \textit{finite} sum of operators \(\displaystyle D=\sum_{k\in\mathbb{Z}}D_k T_g^k\), where \(D_k\) are order zero pseudodifferential operators, \(g: X\rightarrow X\) is an arbitrary diffeomorphism of \(X\) and \(T_g^k\) denotes the shift operator \([T^k(u)](x)=u(g^kx), \forall x\in X.\) Denote by \(S^*X\) the sphere bundle in the cotangent bundle of \(X.\) Then the symbol of the operator \(D\) is an element in the crossed product algebra \(C(S^*X, M_l(\mathbb{C}))\rtimes\mathbb{Z}\) and the invertibility of the symbol gives rise to the ellipticity of the operator. The main result of this paper is to show that such a nonlocal elliptic operator has a Fredholm index being equal to the index of a boundary problem on the cylinder \(X\times [0, 1].\) The author proves this result in three steps. First, any nonlocal elliptic operator \(\displaystyle D=\sum_{k\in\mathbb{Z}}D_k T_g^k\) corresponds a two-term operator \(D'=AT_gP+B(1-P)\) so that \(\mathrm{ind} D=\mathrm{ind} D'\). Here, \(A, B, P\) are pseudodifferential operators and \(P^2-P\) is a compact operator. Secondly, the author constructs the boundary value problem \((\mathcal{D}, \mathcal{B})\) on the cylinder \(X\times [0, 1]\) by \[ (\frac{\partial}{\partial t}+(2P-1)\sqrt{\Delta_X})u=f_1 \] \[ ATu|_{t=0}+Bu|_{t=1}=f_2. \] Here, \(\Delta_X\) is the nonnegative Laplace operator on \(X\), \(f_2\) is a function on \(X\) while \(f_1\) and the unknown variable \(u\) are functions on \(X\times[0, 1]\). This boundary problem can be characterised by the \(K\)-homology of the closed manifold \(X^g=X\times[0,1]/(x, 0)\sim(gx, 1).\) Finally, the author shows that the Fredholm index of \(D'\) is equal to the index of the boundary problem \(\mathrm{ind} D'=\mathrm{ind}(\mathcal{D}, \mathcal{B}).\) It is desirable to obtain index formulas for nonlocal elliptic operator of this type. There are several index formulas established for several special cases. See, for example, [\textit{A. B. Antonevich}, Math. USSR, Izv. 7, 661--673 (1974; Zbl 0283.47034)] and a book and several papers by the author and his collaborators. However in general case this is still under investigation. The result of this paper provides an attempt to find a simpler approach to find the index. To see this, the author in the end of the paper uses his result to compute explicitly the index of the tangential Euler operator introduced in [\textit{M. F. Atiyah} et al., Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 77, 43--69 (1975; Zbl 0297.58008)].