Asymptotic morphisms and elliptic operators over \(C^*\)-algebras (Q1818749)

For compact smooth manifolds, the following \(C^*\)-version of the well-known Atiyah-Singer index theorem, is considered. \textit{A. S. Mishchenko} and \textit{A. T. Fomenko} [Math. USSR, Izv. 15, 87-112 (1980); translation from Izv. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Ser. Mat. 43, 831-859 (1979; Zbl 0416.46052)] considered an elliptic \(A\)-operator \(P : C^\infty(E_1) \to C^\infty(E_2)\), acting between the spaces of smooth sections of smooth vector \(A\)-bundles \(E_i \to M\), whose fibers are finite projective modules over a unital \(C^*\)-algebra \(A\). If the kernel and cokernel of \(P\) are finite projective \(A\)-modules, the analytic index is defined as usual \(\text{Index}_a= [\text{ker}(P)]- [\text{coker}(P)].\) The topological index of \(P\) is defined by the Gysin map construction and is the class of the principal symbol \(\text{Index}_t(P) = [\sigma(P)] \in K_0({\mathbb C}_0(T^*M) \otimes A)\). They proved that modulo torsions these indices are equal. In a series of papers [see e.g., \textit{Yu. P. Solov'ev} and \textit{E. V. Troitskij}, ``\(C^*\)-algebras and elliptic operators in differential topology'' (Faktorial, Moskva) (1996); \textit{E. V. Troitskij}, Proc. Steklov Inst. Math. 193, 197-201 (1993); translation from Tr. Mat. Inst. Steklova 193, 178-182 (1992; Zbl 0812.46067)], Troitskij gave a complete proof of the \(C^*\)-version of the index theorem \(\text{Index}_a(P) = \text{Index}_t(P)\), rather than modulo torsions, following a generalization of the axiomatic method of Atiyah-Singer. In particular, the greatest difficulty is the fact that the analytic index is unchanged when replacing the underlying manifold \(M\) by a bundle \(S\to M\) with compact fibers and using the Thom isomorphism \(K_A(T^*M) \cong K_A(T^*S)\) to show that the analytic index is well behaved. The classical Atiyah-Singer index theorem was reproven clearer by \textit{N. Higson} [Contemp. Math. 148, 67-86 (1993; Zbl 0798.19004)]. It was much clearer to prove it in the frame of asymptotic morphisms in the Connes-Higson \(E\)-theory. For the \(C^*\)-version of the problem, the author uses here the asymptotic morphism of the Connes-Higson \(E\)-theory \(\{\Phi_t\}_{t\in [1,\infty)} : {\mathbb C}_0(T^*M)\otimes A \to {\mathcal K}(L^2M) \otimes A\) to show that the topological index and the induced map \(\text{Index}_m := \Phi_* : K^0_A(T^*M) \to K_0(A)\), referred to as the multiplicative index map, induces the same isomorphism \(\text{Index}_t(P) = \text{Index}_m(P) :{\mathcal E}\ell\ell(A) \to K_0(A)\), from the Baum-Douglas type group \({\mathcal E}\ell\ell(A)\) of elliptic objects to the \(K_0(A)\). The index theorem is proven in Section 5, establishing the theorem first for the first-order elliptic differential \(A\)-operators by adapting Higson's asymptotic morphism method and then by using Kasparov's KK-theory argument stating that, up to homotopy, every elliptic pseudodifferential \(A\)-operator on a smooth closed spin-manifold is given by a first-order Dirac operator \(D_E\) twisted by a vector \(A\)-bundle \(E\).