The Dirac operator in geometry and physics

Publication date 11 August 2003

\(K\)-area applications of Dirac operators Atiyah-Singer index theorem eigenvalues of twisted Dirac operators Lichnerowicz formula positive energy theorem scalar curvature rigidity

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Methods of global Riemannian geometry, including PDE methods; curvature restrictions (53C21) Rigidity results (53C24) Global differential geometry of Hermitian and Kählerian manifolds (53C55) Relations of PDEs with special manifold structures (Riemannian, Finsler, etc.) (58J60)

Review text

The article surveys certain applications of Dirac operators to geometric problems. Some proofs are sketched. It starts with basic definitions of Clifford algebras, spin structures, Dirac operators and \(K\)-area and gives some important facts like the Atiyah-Singer index theorem and the Lichnerowicz formula. A collection of results about scalar curvature rigidity as well as their interpretation in terms of \(K\)-area follows. E.g.\ there is an explanation of Gromov's and Lawson's proof of the fact that any Riemannian metric on a torus whose scalar curvature is nonnegative must actually be flat. After mentioning briefly the of symplectic \(K\)-area there is a discussion of Vafa's and Witten's uniform upper bound on eigenvalues of twisted Dirac operators. The last section is devoted to Witten's spinorial proof of the positive mass theorem and some of its modifications. For the entire collection see [Zbl 1015.53001].

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