The gluing formula of the refined analytic torsion for an acyclic Hermitian connection (Q451996)

Refined analytic torsion was introduced by \textit{M. Braverman} and \textit{T. Kappeler} [J. Differ. Geom. 78, No. 2, 193--267 (2008; Zbl 1147.58034)] as an analytic analogue of the refined combinatorial torsion introduced earlier by \textit{M. Farber} and \textit{V. Turaev} [J. Reine Angew. Math. 520, 195--225 (2000; Zbl 0938.57020)]. These combinatorial and analytic torsion invariants are defined for closed odd-dimensional manifolds and are intimately related. In the case of an acyclic Hermitian connection the refined analytic torsion is a complex number whose modulus is the Ray-Singer analytic torsion and the phase part is the \(\rho\)-invariant. The authors of the present paper introduce and study a refined version of the analytic torsion for odd-dimensional manifolds with boundary. They employ two types of complementary boundary conditions introduced in their previous paper [``The refined analytic torsion and a well-posed boundary condition for the odd signature operator'', \url{arXiv:1004.1753}]. The main result of the paper under review is a gluing formula for the refined torsion. Assume that an odd-dimensional closed Riemannian manifold \(M\) is the union \(M=M_1\cup M_2\) of compact manifolds with boundary \(M_1\cap M_2= Y=\partial M_1= \partial M_2\) and the Riemannian metric is product near \(Y\). The authors also impose acyclicity assumptions on the flat Hermitian bundle. The gluing formula claims that the torsion of \(M\) can be expressed as the product of torsion invariants associated to \(M_1\) and \(M_2\).