Eta function and spectral asymmetry for \(S^{4r-1}\) (Q2641343)

If B is a selfadjoint (not positive) elliptic differential operator acting on a compact manifold M, its eigenvalues are real but can be positive or negative. For Re(s) large, we define its eta-function, \[ \eta (B,s)=\sum_{\lambda \neq 0}(sign \lambda)| \lambda |^{- s}. \] Here \(\lambda\) runs over the eigenvalues of B and each eigenvalue repeats as many times as its multiplicity. This \(\eta\) (B,s) extends meromorphically to the whole of s-plane and \(\eta\) (B,0) is finite. The value of \(\eta\) (B,0) is a measure of asymmetry of the spectrum of B. This finiteness for the special operator \(B\phi =i^{\ell}(- 1)^{p+1}(^*d-d^*)\phi\) (deg \(\phi\) \(=2p\), dim of manifold \(=2\ell - 1)\) was proved earlier by Atiyah-Patodi-Singer using cobordism theory and invariant theory. In this paper, using a method of analytic continuation, we compute explicitly \(\eta\) (B,0) for the operator \(B=\pm (^*d-d^*)\) acting on 2-forms on the sphere \(S^{4r-1}\).