Functorial Hodge identities and quantization (Q4794615)

Let \(\Gamma_M (\Lambda)\) be the space of real differential forms over an oriented manifold \(M\) with non-degenerate metric of arbitrary signature. There are fundamental operators acting on the above space: the degree \(\partial\), the Hodge star opearator \(*\), the exterior derivative \(d\), its formal adjoint \(d^*\) and the Hodge d'Alembertian \( d d^* + d^* d\). Such operators satisfy some algebraic relations, first proved in the positive-definite case by \textit{W. V. Hodge} [The theory and applications of harmonic integrals, Cambridge University Press (1941; Zbl 0024.39703)], \textit{K. Kodaira} [Proc. Imp. Acad. Tokyo 20, 186-198 (1944; Zbl 0063.03285)] and \textit{P. Bidal} and \textit{G. de Rham} [Comment. Math. Helv. 19, 1-49 (1946; Zbl 0063.00378)]. These relations hold also for arbitrary Kähler manifolds [\textit{A. Weil}, Comment. Math. Helv. 20, 110-116 (1947; Zbl 0034.35801)] and similar relations are valid also for certain operators on hyper-Kähler manifolds [\textit{M. S. Verbitsky}, Funct. Anal. Appl. 24, 229-230 (1990; Zbl 0717.53041)]. In the paper the author gives a uniform, abstract derivation of new sets of relations for Riemannian, Kähler and hyper-Kähler geometry showing that the relations he obtains are functorial. The new relations imply the known ones, but they are more general since they describe Lie group rather than Lie algebra actions on differential operators and they hold for arbitrary signature. For each of the three types of geometry, a multiplicative functor from the corresponding category of real, graded, flat vector bundles to the category of infinite-dimensional \({\mathbb Z}_2\)-projective representations of an algebraic structure is defined. The algebraic structure depends only on the type of geometry and not on the manifold, metric or flat vector bundle. Moreover, the author defines new multiplicative numerical invariants of closed Kähler and hyper-Kähler manifolds which are invariant under deformation of the metric.