Functoriality of equivariant eta forms (Q528839)

The main results of the article under review is the anomaly formula (also called variational formula) and the functoriality of equivariant Bismut-Cheeger eta forms for a compact Lie group \(G\). For simplicity we will describe the results in the non-equivariant case, i.e., \(G=\{e\}\). To explain the anomaly formula, consider the setup of the local family index theorem. Let \(\pi:X\to B\) be a proper submersion with closed oriented spin\(^c\) fibers \(Z\) and \(E\to X\) a complex vector bundle with a Hermitian metric \(h^E\) and a unitary connection \(\nabla^E\). The Bismut-Cheeger eta form \(\widetilde{\eta}\) is a transgression form between the Chern character of the index bundle and the local index form given by Atiyah, Singer, and Bismut. The eta form \(\widetilde{\eta}\) depends on the horizontal bundle \(T^HX\to X\), the metric \(g^{TZ}\) on the fiber \(Z\), the metric \(h^{L_Z}\) and the unitary connection \(\nabla^{L_Z}\) on the characteristic line bundles associated to the spinor bundle of \(TZ\to Z\) and the unitary connection \(\nabla^E\). The anomaly formula of \(\widetilde{\eta}\) describes the effect on the eta formula when these data are deformed from one to another. For a more precise statement see Theorem 0.2 of the article under review. To explain the functoriality of the eta form, consider two proper submersions \(\pi_1:W\to V\) and \(\pi_2:V\to S\) with closed oriented spin\(^c\) fibers and their composition \(\pi_3:W\to S\). Then there are three eta forms associated to these three submersions. Under certain assumptions the author proves the relationship between these three eta forms. For a more precise statement see Theorem 0.3 of the article under review. The motivation of these results is to construct a geometric model of equivariant differential \(K\)-theory for compact Lie group actions that is similar to the Bunke-Schick differential \(K\)-group, for which the author has treated it in subsequent papers.