A Poincaré-Hopf type formula for Chern character numbers (Q641872)

Let \(TM\) be the tangent bundle of a \(2n\)-dimensional closed oriented smooth manifold \(M\). Let \(T_{\mathbb{C}}M=TM\otimes \mathbb{C}.\) Let \(h\) be a complex symmetric bilinear form on \(T_{\mathbb{C}}M\) induced canonically by a Riemannian metric on \(TM\). \textit{H. Jacobowitz} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 137, No.~9, 3163--3165 (2009; Zbl 1176.57029)] proved the following vanishing result. If \(h(K,K)\) is nowhere zero on \(M\) for a smooth section \(K\) of \(T_{\mathbb{C}}M\), then the Euler number of \(M\) vanishes. This generalizes the classical Hopf vanishing result to the case of complex vector fields. In the same paper, Jacobowitz raised the question of whether it is possible to establish a counting formula for the Euler number which generalizes the Poincaré-Hopf formula to the case of complex vector fields. In the paper under review, the authors establish a formula for the difference of the Chern character numbers of two complex vector bundles admitting between them a homomorphism with isolated singularities. Quillen's superconnection formalism is used in the proof. As a consequence of the formula, the authors are able to generalize the Poincaré-Hopf formula to the case of complex vector fields answering Jacobowitz' question positively.