Analytic torsion of Hirzebruch surfaces (Q2494339)

It is known that the analytic torsion vanishes for \(K3\) surfaces equipped with Ricci flat metrics. \textit{K.-I. Yoshikawa} [Invent. Math. 156, No.~1, 53--117 (2004; Zbl 1058.58013)] computed the analytic torsion for Enriques surfaces with Ricci flat metrics, showing that the analytic torsion is related to the Borcherds \(\Phi\)-function. This paper computes the analytic torsion, \(\tau(S_n)=-\text{{log}}\, T_0(S_n,1)\), of the Hirzebruch surfaces \(S_n\), the only ruled surfaces over \({\mathbb{P}}_{\mathbb{C}}^1\). The Hirzebruch surfaces \(S_n\) are endowed with some Hermitian metrics sweeping the whole Kähler cone, adapted to the fibration over \({\mathbb{P}}_{\mathbb{C}}^1\). The main result is formulated as Theorem: \[ \tau(S_n)-\log \text{Vol}(S_n)={{n\log(n+1)}\over{24}}-{{n}\over{6}} +2\tau({\mathbb{P}}^1). \] Also the equivariant analytic torsion of the Hirzebruch surfaces equipped with an action of a torsion element of \({\mathbb{C}}^*\times {\mathbb{C}}^*\) is computed. The method consists in applying different forms of the arithmetic Riemann-Roch theorem, reducing the computations of the analytic torsion to those of distinguished Bott-Chern classes.