Relative torsion

DOI10.1142/S0219199701000287MaRDI QIDQ2764507zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Dan Burghelea, Leonid Friedlander, T. Kappeler

Publication date 8 October 2002

Published in Communications in Contemporary Mathematics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/math/9909186

\(\xi\)-regularized complex analytic torsion Reidemeister torsion strong Fredholm type operators Witten deformation

Simple homotopy type, Whitehead torsion, Reidemeister-Franz torsion, etc. (57Q10) Determinants and determinant bundles, analytic torsion (58J52)

Abstract: This paper achieves, among other things, the following: 1)It frees the main result of [BFKM] from the hypothesis of determinant class and extends this result from unitary to arbitrary representations. 2)It extends (and at the same times provides a new proof of) the main result of Bismut and Zhang [BZ] from finite dimensional representations of

G a m m a

to representations on an

c a l A -

Hilbert module of finite type (

c a l A

a finite von Neumann algebra). The result of [BZ] corresponds to

3)It provides interesting real valued functions on the space of representations of the fundamental group

G a m m a

of a closed manifold M. These functions might be a useful source of topological and geometric invariants of M. These objectives are achieved with the help of the relative torsion

c a l R

, first introduced by Carey, Mathai and Mishchenko [CMM] in special cases. The main result of this paper calculates explicitly this relative torsion (cf Theorem 0.1).

Review text

Relative torsion is the generalization of the ratio of the Reidemeister torsion \(T_{\text{Reid}}\) and analytic torsion \(T_{\text{an }}\) to the flat bundle \({\mathcal E}\) over a compact manifold \(M\) associated to an arbitrary representation \(\rho:\pi_1 (M)\to Gl_{\mathcal A}({\mathcal W})\).NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEIn this paper, explicit form of the relative torsion as the integrals of differential forms, is given, assuming \({\mathcal W}\) is a finite type \({\mathcal A}\)-Hilbert module where \({\mathcal A}\) is a finite von Neumann algebra, (Theorem 1.1). If \({\mathcal A}= \mathbb{C}\), authors' formula coincides to the main result of \textit{J.-M. Busmut} and \textit{W. Zhang}, An extension of a theorem by Cheeger and Müller, Astérisque 205, 235 p. (1992; Zbl 0781.58039). In a previous paper, authors proved coincidence of \(T_{\text{Reid}}\) and \(T_{\text{an}}\) if \(\rho\) is a unitary representation of determinant class [\textit{D. Burghelea}, \textit{L. Friedlander}, \textit{T. Kappeler}, and \textit{P. McDonald}, Geom. Funct. Anal. 6, No. 5, 751-859 (1996; Zbl 0874.57025)]. This result follows from Theorem 1.1. In this paper \(\rho\) needs not neither unitary nor determinant class. So Theorem 1.1 is a generalization of authors' previous result and main result of Bismut-Zhang. NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEThe relative torsion \({\mathcal R}\) is defined for the data \((M, {\mathcal T},g, \tau)\), \(M\) a closed connected manifold, \({\mathcal T}=\{{\mathcal E}, \nabla, \mu\}\), where \(\nabla\) and \(\mu\) are the canonical flat connection and a Hermitian structure of \({\mathcal E}\), respectively, \(g\) is a Riemannian metric of \(M\) and \(\tau= (h,g')\) is a generalized triangulation of \(M\), where \(h\) is a Morse function and \(g'\) is a metric of \(M\). By using \(\mu\) and \(g\), Hodge Laplacian \(\Delta\) on the space of differential forms with coefficients in \({\mathcal E}\) is defined. On the other hand, by using \(\tau\), combinatorial coboundary operator \(\delta\) and its Laplacian \(\Delta^{\text{comb}}\) are defined. Since authors work on general \(\rho\), \(\det\Delta\), etc. may not be defined. To overcome this difficulty, Sobolev metric on the space of differential forms with coefficients in \({\mathcal E}\) is introduced by using fractional powers of \(\Delta+\text{Id}\). The operator \(d(g_s)\) is defined by NEWLINE\[NEWLINEd(g_s)_k= \left(\begin{matrix} -\delta_{k-1} & g_{k;s}\\ 0 & d_k\end{matrix} \right),NEWLINE\]NEWLINE where \(g_s=\text{Int}_s\circ (\Delta+ \text{Id})^{-s/2}\) is the modified integration map. The Laplacian \(\Delta(g_s)\) of \(g_s\) is similarly defined as Hodge Laplacian. It is shown, \(\Delta(g_s)\) admits a nonvanishing regularized determinant. The relative torsion \({\mathcal R}\) is defined as NEWLINE\[NEWLINE\log{\mathcal R}=\frac 12\sum_K(-1)^{k+1} k\log\det\bigl( \Delta(g_s) \bigr)_k. NEWLINE\]NEWLINE It is shown that this definition does not depend on \(s\). Under the setting of this paper, \(T_{\text{an}}\) and \(T_{\text{Reid}}\) may not be defined. But if \({\mathcal E}\) is of determinant class, then they are defined and \(\log{\mathcal R}=\log T_{\text{an}}- \log T_{\text{Reid}}\) holds [\textit{A. L. Carey}, \textit{V. Mathai} and \textit{A. Mishchenko}, Nielsen theory and Reidemeister Torsion, Banach Cent. Publ. 49, 43-67 (1999; Zbl 0941.19005)]. Definition and properties of determinant class are exposed in Appendix B together with examples of nondeterminant class morphisms.NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINELet \(Cr(h)\) be the set of critical points of \(h\), \(X=-\text{grad}_{g'}h\). Then it is shown there exist a closed 1-form \(\theta=\theta (\rho,\mu)\), an orientation bundle valued \((n-1)\)-form \(\Psi= \Psi(TM,g)\) on \(TM\smallsetminus M\) and a smooth function \(V=V(\rho, \mu_1, \mu_2)\) such that NEWLINE\[NEWLINE\begin{multlined} \log{\mathcal R}=(-1)^{n+1} \int_{M \smallsetminus Cr(h)} \theta(\rho, \mu_0)\wedge X^*\bigl(\Psi (TM,g)\bigr)+\\ +\int_M V(\rho, \mu, \mu_0)e(M,g)- \sum_{x\in Cr(h)} (-1)^{\text{ind} (x)}V(\rho, \mu,\mu_0)(x), \end{multlined}NEWLINE\]NEWLINE where \(e\) is the Euler form and \(\mu_0\) is parallel in the neighborhood of \(Cr(h)\). If \(M\) is of odd dimension, then this formula simplifies NEWLINE\[NEWLINE\log{\mathcal R}=\int_{M\smallsetminus Cr(h)}\theta (\rho,\mu_0)\wedge X^*\bigl(\Psi(TM,g)\bigr)-\sum_{x\in Cr(h)}(-1)^{\text{ind} (x)}V(\rho,\mu, \mu_0)(x)NEWLINE\]NEWLINE (Theorem 1.1). To show Theorem 1.1, Witten deformation \(d(t)=e^{-th} de^{th}\) is used. The deformation of relative torsion by this deformation is denoted by \({\mathcal R}(t)\). Then it is shown NEWLINE\[NEWLINE\log{\mathcal R}(t)=\log{\mathcal R}+t \dim {\mathcal W}\int_M he(M,g)NEWLINE\]NEWLINE(Theorem 3.1). This formula and computation of asymptotic form of \({\mathcal R}(t)\), \(t\to\infty\), applying Witten-Helfer-Sjöstrand theory [\textit{M. Helffer} and \textit{J. Sjöstrand}, Commun. Partial Differ. Eq. 10, 245-340 (1985; Zbl 0597.35024)] show the existence of a local density \(\alpha\) on \(M\smallsetminus Cr(h)\) when \(\mu\) is parallel with respect to \(\nabla\) in the neighborhood of \(Cr(h)\) such that \(\log{\mathcal R}= \int_{M \smallsetminus Cr(h)} \alpha\) (Proposition 1.1. It is also shown \({\mathcal R}=1\) if \(\mu\) is parallel). Proof of Proposition 1.1 under the assumption \(g= g'\) is given in Section 4. Proof of Proposition 1.1 without the assumption \(g= g'\) needs to compute variations of \({\mathcal R}(M,\rho,\mu,g,\tau)\) with respect to \(\mu\) and \(g\) (Hermitian and metric anomalies). They are computed by using a smooth function \(V\) and Euler form (Hermitian anomaly) and Chern-Simons form (metric anomaly) (Section 5). Theorem 1.1 is proved in Section 6 by these results and computation of anomaly with respect to the triangulation, given in Section 5. In [\textit{D. Burghelea}, Lett. Math. Phys. 47, 149-158 (1999; Zbl 0946.58026)] it was shown, \(\log{\mathcal R}(M,\rho,\mu,\tau,g)\) gave a function \(F(M,E)(\rho)\) on \(\text{Rep}(\pi_1(M),Gl_{\mathcal A}({\mathcal W}))\), where \(E\) is an Euler structure in the sense of Turaev [\textit{V. Turaev}, Math. USSR, Izv. 34, No. 3, 627-662 (1990); translation from Izv. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Ser. Mat. 53, No. 3, 607-643 (1989; Zbl 0707.57003)]. If \(N\) is an even dimensional simply connected manifold, for a suitable Euler structure \(E_0\) of \(S^1\times N\), NEWLINE\[NEWLINEF (S^1 \times N,E_0) (\rho)=-{\chi(N) \over 2}\log\det \bigl(\rho(1)^* \rho(1) \bigr)^{1/2},NEWLINE\]NEWLINE is shown as an application of Theorem 1.1 (Proposition 6.1). This shows nontriviality of \(F\) and authors say it might be a useful source of topological and geometric invariants of \(M\).NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEOther parts of the paper are as follows; Section 1 gives summary of the results and definitions of analytic torsion, Reidemeister torsion and relative torsion, and related terminologies. To define torsions, determinants of Laplacian etc. are needed. Since these determinants can not be defined directly, in general, regularization procedures are necessary. Introducing the notion \(sF\) (strong Fredholm) type operator, these are done in Section 2. Proof of additive property of relative torsion (Lemma 2.6, a slightly stronger version of a Lemma due to Carey-Mathai-Mishchenko) is given in Appendix A (here Lemma 2.6 is misquoted as Lemma 2.14). By using \(sF\) type operator, \(\zeta\)-regular operator and complex are defined. Then showing (de Rham and simplicial) complexes used in this paper become \(\zeta\)-regular complexes under the regularization by \(\text{(Id}+ \Delta)^{-s/2}\) for \(s\) is sufficiently large, relative torsion is defined in Section 3. Section 3 also study Witten deformation of the relative torsion which is crucial to the proof of Proposition 1.1.

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