Adams operations in smooth \(K\)-theory (Q611909)

Smooth K-theory \(\hat K\) (often called ``differential K-theory'') is a refinement of the functor topological K-theory on the category of smooth manifolds which takes differential form information into account and therefore is a home for invariants which combine topological with geometrical information. More precisely, it is a functor \(\hat K\) from manifolds to graded rings with natural transformations \(I\) to integral K-theory and \(R\) to closed differential forms with coefficients in \(\mathbb{R}[b,b^{-1}]\) (\(b\) of degree \(2\)). This functor is determined by a certain set of axioms, and different models for its construction exist, one, e.g.,~vector bundles with connection, another one on families of Dirac operators. The Adams operations \(\Psi^k\), \(k\in \{-1,1,2,\dots\}\) are important natural transformations \(\Psi^k: K[1/k]\to K[1/k]\) where, on the category of compact CW-complexs, \(K[1/k]\) is just \(K\otimes \mathbb{Z}[1/k]\). Bunke's first result is the construction of lifts \(\hat\Psi^k: \hat K[1/k]\to \hat K[1/k]\) compatible with the transformation \(I\) and such that \(R\circ \hat \Psi^kk=\Psi^k_\Omega \circ R\), where on the level of differential froms, \(\Psi^k_\Omega: \Omega^*(\cdot;\mathbb{R}[b,b^{-1}])\) is induced by \(b\mapsto b/k\). He also shows that this lifted transformation is unique (provided it is compatible with a suspension map) and proves additivity, multiplicativity and \(\hat\Psi^k\circ \hat \Psi^l=\hat\Psi^{kl}\). Secondly, an important construction in K-theory and differential K-theory is integration along the fibers of a (differentially oriented) fiber bundle \(\pi: E\to B\). The Adams operations are not directly compatible with that, instead there is a characteristic class \(\rho^k(\nu)\in K[1/k](E)\) of the K-oriented normal bundle such that \(\Psi^k(\pi_!(x))=\pi_!(\rho^k(\nu)\cdot \Psi^k(x))\) \(\forall x\in K[1/k]^*(E)\). Bunke constructs a lift \(\hat \rho^k\in\hat K[1/k](E)\) for complex vector bundles with geometry and then for a differential K-orientation of \(\pi: E\to B\) such that \(I\hat \rho^k=\rho^k\) and \(R\hat \rho^k\) is an explicitly given differential form in terms of the geometry of the bundle, which is suggested by the image of \(\rho\) under the Chern character. He shows that this characteristic class is uniquely determined by these properties and naturality. The main theorem is then that in differential K-theory one has the lifted Riemann-Roch like formula for \(\hat \Psi^k\) for a differentially oriented bundle \(\pi: E\to B\): \[ \hat\Psi^k(\hat\pi_!(x))=\hat\pi_!(\hat\rho^k(\nu)\cdot \hat\Psi^k(x))\qquad\forall x\in \hat K[1/k]^*(E). \tag{eq} \] Finally, Bunke applies this to get in a very easy way bounds on the order on the Adams \(e\)-invariant and generalizations of it, and also bounds on orders of \(\rho\)-invariants of flat bundles. This is based on the geometric formulas \(\Psi^k([L,\nabla])=[L,\nabla]^k=[L^k,\nabla^k]\) (for a line bundle \(L\) with hermitean connection \(\nabla\) representing a class in \(\hat K^0\)) and \(\hat \rho^k(o_\pi)=1\) (if \(o_\pi\) is a differential orientation on \(E\to B\) induced by a stable framing of the normal bundle), which are obtained by a direct computation. The existence and uniqueness proofs for \(\hat\Psi^k\) and \(\hat\rho^k\) use the axiomatic approach to differential K-theory and an approximation of the classifying spaces for K-theory and vector bundles by finite-dimensional manifolds as in \textit{U. Bunke} and \textit{T. Schick} [J. Topol. 3, No.~1, 110--156 (2010; Zbl 1252.55002)]. The heart of the proof of equation (ref {eq}) is a secondary index theorem based on the \(\mathbb{Z}/k\)-index theorem of \textit{D. S. Freed} and \textit{R. B. Melrose} [Invent. Math. 107, No.~2, 283--299 (1992; Zbl 0760.58039)], which uses the explicit cycle description for \(\hat K\) in terms of families of Dirac operators.