arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Sara Azzali.
We produce an explicit description of the K-theory and K-homology of the pure braid group on $n$ strands. We describe the Baum--Connes correspondence between the generators of the left- and right-hand sides for $n=4$. Using functoriality of the assembly map and direct computations, we recover Oyono-Oyono's result on the Baum--Connes conjecture for pure braid groups. We also discuss the case of the full braid group $B_3$.
We construct a Baum--Connes assembly map localised at the unit element of a discrete group $Γ$. This morphism, called $μ_τ$, is defined in $KK$-theory with coefficients in $\mathbb{R}$ by means of the action of the projection $[τ]\in KK_{\mathbb{R}}^Γ(\mathbb{C},\mathbb{C})$ canonically associated to the group trace of $Γ$. We show that the corresponding $τ$-Baum--Connes conjecture is weaker then the classical one but still implies the strong Novikov conjecture. The right hand side of $μ_τ$ is functorial with respect to the group $Γ$.
The canonical trace and the Wodzicki residue on classical pseudodifferential operators on a closed manifold are characterised by their locality and shown to be preserved under lifting to the universal covering as a result of their local feature. As a consequence, we lift a class of spectral $ζ$-invariants using lifted defect formulae which express discrepancies of $ζ$-regularised traces in terms of Wodzicki residues. We derive Atiyah's $L^2$-index theorem as an instance of the $\mathbb Z_2$-graded generalisation of the canonical lift of spectral $ζ$-invariants and we show that certain lifted spectral $ζ$-invariants for geometric operators are integrals of Pontryagin and Chern forms.
We compute explicitly, and without any extra regularity assumptions, the large time limit of the fibrewise heat operator for Bismut-Lott type superconnections in the L^2-setting. This is motivated by index theory on certain non-compact spaces (families of manifolds with cocompact group action) where the convergence of the heat operator at large time implies refined L^2-index formulas. As applications, we prove a local L^2-index theorem for families of signature operators and an L^2-Bismut-Lott theorem, expressing the Becker-Gottlieb transfer of flat bundles in terms of Kamber-Tandeur classes. With slightly stronger regularity we obtain the respective refined versions: we construct L^2-eta forms and L^2-torsion forms as transgression forms.
We construct equivariant $KK$-theory with coefficients in $\mathbb{R}$ and $\mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z}$ as suitable inductive limits over ${\rm II}_1$-factors. We show that the Kasparov product, together with its usual functorial properties, extends to $KK$-theory with real coefficients. Let $Γ$ be a group. We define a $Γ$-algebra $A$ to be $K$-theoretically free and proper (KFP) if the group trace ${\bf tr}$ of $Γ$ acts as the unit element in $KK^Γ_{\mathbb{R}}(A,A)$. We show that free and proper $Γ$-algebras (in the sense of Kasparov) have the (KFP) property. Moreover, if $Γ$ is torsion free and satisfies the $KK^Γ$-form of the Baum-Connes conjecture, then every $Γ$-algebra satisfies (KFP). If $α:Γ\to U_n$ is a unitary representation and $A$ satisfies property (KFP), we construct in a canonical way a rho class $ρ_α^A\in KK_{\mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z}}^{1,Γ}(A,A)$. This construction generalizes the Atiyah-Patodi-Singer $K$-theory class with $\mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z}$ coefficients associated to $α$.
We construct eta- and rho-invariants for Dirac operators, on the universal covering of a closed manifold, that are invariant under the projective action associated to a 2-cocycle of the fundamental group. We prove an Atiyah-Patodi-Singer index theorem in this setting, as well as its higher generalization. Applications concern the classification of positive scalar curvature metrics on closed spin manifolds. We also investigate the properties of these twisted invariants for the signature operator and the relation to the higher invariants.
We revisit traces of holomorphic families of pseudodifferential operators on a closed manifold in view of geometric applications. We then transpose the corresponding analytic constructions to two different geometric frameworks; the noncommutative torus and Hilbert modules. These traces are meromorphic functions whose residues at the poles as well as the constant term of the Laurent expansion at zero (the latter when the family at zero is a differential operator) can be expressed in terms of Wodzicki residues and extended Wodzicki residues involving logarithmic operators. They are therefore local and contain geometric information. For holomorphic families leading to zeta regularised traces, they relate to the heat-kernel asymptotic coefficients via an inverse Mellin mapping theorem. We revisit Atiyah's L^2-index theorem by means of the (extended) Wodzicki residue and interpret the scalar curvature on the noncommutative two torus as an (extended) Wodzicki residue.
Let $M$ be a closed manifold and $α: π_1(M)\to U_n$ a representation. We give a purely $K$-theoretic description of the associated element $[α]$ in the $K$-theory of $M$ with $\R/\Z$-coefficients. To that end, it is convenient to describe the $\R/\Z$-$K$-theory as a relative $K$-theory with respect to the inclusion of $\C$ in a finite von Neumann algebra $B$. We use the following fact: there is, associated with $α$, a finite von Neumann algebra $B$ together with a flat bundle $\cE\to M$ with fibers $B$, such that $E_\a\otimes \cE$ is canonically isomorphic with $\C^n\otimes \cE$, where $E_α$ denotes the flat bundle with fiber $\C^n$ associated with $α$. We also discuss the spectral flow and rho type description of the pairing of the class $[α]$ with the $K$-homology class of an elliptic selfadjoint (pseudo)-differential operator $D$ of order 1.
We define the secondary invariants L^2- eta and -rho forms for families of generalized Dirac operators on normal coverings of fibre bundles. On the covering family we assume transversally smooth spectral projections, and Novikov--Shubin invariants bigger than 3(dim B+1) to treat the large time asymptotic for general operators. In the particular case of a bundle of spin manifolds, we study the L^2- rho class in relation to the space of positive scalar curvature vertical metrics.
We relate the spectral flow to the index for paths of selfadjoint Breuer-Fredholm operators affiliated to a semifinite von Neumann algebra, generalizing results of Robbin-Salamon and Pushnitski. Then we prove the vanishing of the von Neumann spectral flow for the tangential signature operator of a foliated manifold when the metric is varied. We conclude that the tangential signature of a foliated manifold with boundary does not depend on the metric. In the Appendix we reconsider integral formulas for the spectral flow of paths of bounded operators.