\(L^2\) curvature and volume renormalization of AHE metrics on 4-manifolds (Q5945794)

The Chern-Gauss-Bonnet formula for \(4\)-dimensional compact Riemannian manifold \((M,g)\) without boundary states that \[ {1\over {8\pi ^2}}\int _M(|R|^2-4|z|^2) dV={1\over {8\pi ^2}}\int_M \biggl(|W|^2 - {1\over 2}|z|^2+{1\over {24}}s^2\biggr) dV=\chi (M), \] where \(R, W, z, s\) are respectively the Riemann, Weyl, trace-free Ricci and scalar curvatures. In particular, if \(g\) is an Einstein metric, then \(z=0,\) while if \((M, g)\) is a compact \(4\)-manifold with non-empty boundary, then the Chern-Gauss-Bonnet formula no longer holds; there is a correction or defect term given by certain curvature integrals over the boundary \(\partial M\). If \((M, g)\) is complete and open, then the boundary integrals relate to the asymptotic geometry of \((M, g).\) When \((M, g)\) is a complete non-compact, Ricci-flat \(4\)-manifold, then the defect term in Chern-Gauss-Bonnet formula is easily identified if the manifold asymptotically approaches that of a quotient of \(R^4,\) i.e. if \(M\) is asymptotically locally Euclidean, flat, or locally flat. The main result of this paper, relates the boundary term in the Chern-Gauss-Bonnet formula on \(4\)-manifolds \(M\) with the renormalized volume \(V,\) as defined in the AdS/CFT correspondence, for asymptotically hyperbolic Einstein metrics on \(M.\) In addition the author computes and discusses the differential or variation \(dV\) of \(V,\) or equivalently the variation of the \(L^2\) norm of the Weyl curvature on the space of such Einstein metrics.