Approximations of delocalized eta invariants by their finite analogues (Q6168565)

Summary: For a given self-adjoint first order elliptic differential operator on a closed smooth manifold, we prove a list of results on when the delocalized eta invariant associated to a regular covering space can be approximated by the delocalized eta invariants associated to finite-sheeted covering spaces. One of our main results is the following. Suppose \(\boldsymbol{M}\) is a closed smooth spin manifold and \(\widetilde{\boldsymbol{M}}\) is a \(\Gamma\)-regular covering space of \(\boldsymbol{M}\). Let \(\langle \alpha \rangle\) be the conjugacy class of a non-identity element \(\alpha \in \Gamma\). Suppose \(\{\Gamma_i \}\) is a sequence of finite-index normal subgroups of \(\Gamma\) that distinguishes \(\langle \alpha \rangle\). Let \(\pi_{\Gamma_i}\) be the quotient map from \(\Gamma\) to \(\Gamma / \Gamma_i\) and \(\langle \pi_{\Gamma_i} (\alpha) \rangle\) the conjugacy class of \(\pi_{\Gamma_i} (\alpha)\) in \(\Gamma / \Gamma_i\). If the scalar curvature on \(\boldsymbol{M}\) is everywhere bounded below by a sufficiently large positive number, then the delocalized eta invariant for the Dirac operator of \(\widetilde{\boldsymbol{M}}\) at the conjugacy class \(\langle \alpha \rangle\) is equal to the limit of the delocalized eta invariants for the Dirac operators of \(M_{\Gamma_i}\) at the conjugacy class \(\langle \pi_{\Gamma_i} (\alpha) \rangle\), where \(M_{\Gamma_i} = \widetilde{\boldsymbol{M}} / \Gamma_i\) is the finite-sheeted covering space of \(\boldsymbol{M}\) determined by \(\Gamma_i\). In another main result of the paper, we prove that the limit of the delocalized eta invariants for the Dirac operators of \(M_{\Gamma_i}\) at the conjugacy class \(\langle \pi_{\Gamma_i} (\alpha) \rangle\) converges, under the assumption that the rational maximal Baum-Connes conjecture holds for \(\Gamma\).