Analytic torsion on manifolds with edges (Q452056)

The authors study the analytic torsion of an incomplete odd-dimensional Riemannian singular space \((M,g)\) with a simple edge singularity. They prove that the analytic torsion zeta-function is holomorphic near \(s=0\) and hence the torsion is well-defined but possibly depends on the metric \(g\). The authors also find the properties of the metric which affect the analytic torsion. The main technical tool of the paper is the construction of the heat kernel for the Friedrichs extension of the Hodge Laplacian in all degrees.