No label defined (Q4934544)

On a cone, order-zero Mellin pseudodifferential operators that are elliptic in the appropriate sense define Fredholm operators. The index formula for such operators is due to \textit{B. V. Fedosov} and \textit{B.-W. Schulze} [in M. Demuth (ed.) et al., ``Schrödinger operators, Markov semigroups, wavelet analysis, operator algebras'' (1996; Zbl 0865.35152)]. In the paper under review, the author gives this formula a new proof based on the \(K\)-theory of operator algebras and on the index formula for Toeplitz operators with operator-valued symbols due to \textit{B. A. Plamenevskiĭ} and \textit{G. V. Rozenblyum} [Funct. Anal. Appl. 26, No. 4, 266--275 (1992); translation from Funkts. Anal. Prilozh. No. 4, 26, 45--56 (1992; Zbl 0879.58073)]. The new proof depends in part on a homotopy-based argument that replaces the Gårding inequality in showing that the index remains invariant under appropriate reduction from a general operator to an operator in a special class. Cone Mellin operators arise as local models of operators that live on singular spaces or have singular symbols. For the entire collection see [Zbl 0924.00036].