Real \(K3\) surfaces without real points, equivariant determinant of the Laplacian, and the Borcherds \(\Phi\)-function (Q2463384)

Let \(Y\) be an algebraic \(K3\) surface equipped with an anti-holomorphic involution \(\sigma\), that is a real \(K3\) surface. The fixed points of \(\sigma\) are called the real points of \(Y\). Let \(\omega_g\) be a \(\sigma\)-invariant Ricci-flat Kähler metric with volume \(1\), that exists thanks to the celebrated work \textit{S.-T. Yau} [Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 31, 339--411 (1978; Zbl 0369.53059)]. Let \(\eta_g\) be the unique nowhere vanishing holomorphic \(2\)-form that satisfies \(\eta_g\wedge\overline{\eta}_g=2\omega_g^2\) and \(\sigma^*\eta_g=\overline{\eta}_g\). If \(\alpha:H^2(Y,\mathbb Z)\to \mathbb L_{K3}\) is an isometry of lattices (\(\mathbb L_{K3}\) denotes the \(K3\) lattice), then the point \([\alpha(\omega_g+\sqrt{-1}\text{Im}\eta_g)]\in \mathbb P(\mathbb L_{K3}\otimes\mathbb C)\) belongs to the period domain of Enriques surfaces. \textit{R. E. Borcherds} [Topology 35, No. 3, 699--710 (1996; Zbl 0886.14015)] has constructed an automorphic form \(\Phi\) on this period domain, while the author [\textit{K.-I. Yoshikawa}, Invent. Math. 156, 53--117 (2004; Zbl 1058.58013)] has previously defined a norm \(\| \Phi\| \). Following \textit{J.-M. Bismut} [J. Differ. Geom. 41, No. 1, 53--157 (1995; Zbl 0826.32024)] we can define \(\det_{\mathbb Z_2}^*\Delta_{Y,g}(\sigma)\) the \(\sigma\)-equivariant renormalized determinant of the Laplacian of \(\omega_g\). Generalizing a conjecture of \textit{R. E. Borcherds} [Invent. Math. 132, No. 3, 491--562 (1998; Zbl 0919.11036)] in the non-equivariant case, the main result of the paper is that if \(Y\) has no real points, then \[ \det{}_{\mathbb Z_2}^*\Delta_{Y,g}(\sigma) =C\| \Phi([\alpha(\omega_g+\sqrt{-1}\text{Im}\eta_g)])\| ^{\frac{1}{4}} \] for a universal constant \(C\). To prove this, the author expolits the fact that \(K3\) surfaces are hyperkähler, to ``rotate'' the complex structure and make \(\sigma\) holomorphic. He then shows that the above regularized determinant equals the equivariant analytic torsion of the new complex structure. The result then follows easily from the author's previous paper [loc. cit.].