An index theorem for Toeplitz operators on odd-dimensional manifolds with boundary (Q2504356)

The authors establish a formula for the index of a Toeplitz operator (compression of a unitary multiplier to the positive spectral subspace of a Dirac operator) on an odd-dimensional manifold with boundary. The result is the odd-dimensional analogue of the Atiyah-Patodi-Singer index theorem. The presence of a boundary requires the imposition of a boundary condition on the Dirac operator. The formulation of a Fredholm index problem for the Toeplitz operator requires the conjugation of this boundary condition by the unitary multiplier, a step that seriously complicates the problem. The authors address this complication by: establishing an index formula for the case in which the Dirac operator has been perturbed in a way that transforms the conjugation of the boundary condition into a conjugation of all data defining the boundary-value problem; and finding a spectral flow formula for the difference between the indices associated with the perturbed and the original problems. The paper under review provides careful formulations and complete proofs of ideas introduced in [\textit{W. Zhang}, Li, Ta Tsien (ed.) et al., Proceedings of the international congress of mathematicians, ICM 2002, Beijing, China, August 20--28, 2002. Vol. II: Invited lectures. Beijing: Higher Education Press. 361--369 (2002; Zbl 1009.58014)]. The index formula in the paper under review involves the integral of a standard locally-defined interior integrand, an invariant of eta-type, and an integer-valued Maslov triple index of the type defined by \textit{P. Kirk} and \textit{M. Lesch} [Forum Math. 16, No. 4, 553--629 (2004; Zbl 1082.58021)]. When the boundary of the manifold is a Riemann surface, the interior integral represents the Wess-Zumino term discussed by \textit{E. Witten} [Commun. Math. Phys. 92, 455--472 (1984; Zbl 0536.58012)]. Because the Wess-Zumino term is defined modulo integers, the authors' eta invariant is a formulation of the Wess-Zumino term that is intrinsic to the Riemann surface. When the Riemann surface is a sphere, the authors derive an intrinsically defined local formula for the Wess-Zumino term.