Fredholm-Lagrangian-Grassmannian and the Maslov index (Q557248)

This is a survey paper on the topology of the Fredholm-Lagrangian-Grassmannian spaces and the Maslov index for paths in these spaces. The Maslov index for paths with fixed end points is obtained from the spectral property of the Fredholm operators. The author begins by presenting the basic facts in symplectic Hilbert space and the space of the Lagrangian subspaces. He explains the Souriau map and presents a proof for determining the fundamental group of the Fredholm-Lagrangian-Grassmannian. Then, he defines the Maslov index for paths and the Hörmander index in the infinite dimension and constructs the universal covering space of the Fredholm-Lagrangian-Grassmannian. He obtains the Kashiwara index (cross index) for any triples of unitary opertors. Next he deals with the polarized symplectic Hilbert spaces and proves a symplectic reduction theorem in infinite dimension. Finally, he presents an example in the considered framework and a formula related to the spectral flow.