The higher fixed point theorem for foliations. I: Holonomy invariant currents (Q982493)

The Lefschetz fixed point theorem asserts that a geometric sum of fixed points of a diffeomorphism \(f\) of the manifold \(M\) is equal to the Lefschetz number \(L(f)\), i.e., the alternating sum of traces of the linearization of \(f\) on the \(k\)-th cohomology of \(M\) as \(k\) runs through the set \(\{0,1,\dots,\dim M\}\); the Lefschetz number is an important topological invariant of the diffeomorphism \(f\). The index theory of Atiyah and Singer interacts with the Lefschetz formula in a natural way, since one can take the action of \(f\) on the elliptic complex \((E,d)\) of the manifold \(M\) and calculate the respective traces; this was done by \textit{M.\,F.\thinspace Atiyah} and \textit{R.\,Bott} in [Ann.\ Math.\ (2) 86, 347--407 (1967; Zbl 0164.24201); ibid.\ 88, 451--491 (1968; Zbl 0167.21703)], where they introduced the ``generalized'' Lefschetz number \(L(f; E,d)\). The index theory for foliations on \(M\) has been elaborated by \textit{A.\,Connes} [Proc.\ Symp.\ Pure Math.\ 38, Part 1, Kingston/Ont.\ 1980, 521--628 (1982; Zbl 0531.57023)]; one can wonder, what will the Lefschetz number of a diffeomorphism \(f\) that preserves the leaves of a foliation \({\mathcal F}\) be? \textit{J.\,L.\thinspace Heitsch} and \textit{C.\,Lazarov} solved the problem in [Contemp.\ Math.\ 105, 33--45 (1990; Zbl 0703.58006)] for foliations with the measure preserving holonomy. The paper under review deals with a generalization of the above result of Heitsch and Lazarov to the so-called Haefliger currents on the foliated manifold \(M\), namely, each invariant measure of foliation \({\mathcal F}\) can be interpreted as the pairing of the Connes \(K\)-theory index class of \({\mathcal F}\) with a zero degree cyclic cocycle of the canonical \(C^*\)-algebra attached to \({\mathcal F}\). The higher degree cyclic cocycles (to which the Haefliger currents belong) will produce the ``higher'' index invariants of \({\mathcal F}\). The main result of the paper is Theorem 5.3, which calculates the Lefschetz number for the foliation preserving diffeomorphism \(f\) relative to any closed even dimensional Haefliger current; the applications of Theorem 5.3 are scheduled to appear in the forthcoming Part II of the paper [``The higher fixed point theorem for foliations. II: Applications, rigidity and integrality'' (Preprint)].