Geometric quantization and the metric dependence of the self-dual field theory (Q453342)

The author starts with a summary on the method of geometric quantization, applied to symplectic \(2n\)-dimensional real affine spaces \(\mathcal{A}\). The main point is the determination of a correct projectively flat connection \(\delta_{\mathcal{H}}\) on the quantum line bundle \(\mathcal{L}_{\mathcal{H}}\), where \(\mathcal{H}\) is the Hilbert space associated to the quantization of \(\mathcal{A}\). The connection \(\delta_{\mathcal{H}}\) has to verify four conditions (cf. the paper by \textit{S. Axelrod}, \textit{S. Della Pietra} and \textit{E. Witten} [J. Differ. Geom. 33, No. 3, 787--902 (1991; Zbl 0697.53061)]). The situation is generalized to the case when the symplectic space \(\mathcal{A}\) is associated by the symplectic reduction of an affine symplectic space \(\tilde{\mathcal{A}}\) by the group action \(\rho\) of a Lie group \(\mathcal{G}\). The construction is applied to the symplectic reduction of the space of \(2l+1\)-form gauge field with self-dual strength on a compact \(4l+2\) manifold \(M\) as in the paper by \textit{E. Witten} [J. Geom. Phys. 22, No. 2, 103--133 (1997; Zbl 0878.58063)]. The gauge fields are introduced as differential cocycles. Once the action of the gauge group \(\mathcal{G}\) is fixed just by the affine translations, the momentum map, the symplectic reduction and the complex structures of \(\mathcal{A}\) are determined. After fixing a constant measure on \(\tilde{\mathcal{A}}\), an explicit computation of the projective connection is performed. The globalization of the construction is discussed. The theta function governs the dependence of the partition function on the background \((2l+1)\)-form fields. Applications to the study of the local anomalies of self-dual field theory are presented. The metric dependence of the partition function is analyzed. Connections with index theory and the Dirac operator are presented. The special example of the six-dimensional case of five-branes in type IIA string theory and M-theory is analyzed at the end.