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Varghese Mathai

Publications and source records attributed to Varghese Mathai.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
arXiv2004

On a generalized Connes-Hochschild-Kostant-Rosenberg theorem

The central result here is an explicit computation of the Hochschild and cyclic homologies of a natural smooth subalgebra of stable continuous trace algebras having smooth manifolds X as their spectrum. More precisely, the Hochschild homology is identified with the space of differential forms on X, and the periodic cyclic homology with the twisted de Rham cohomology of X, thereby generalizing some fundamental results of Connes and Hochschild-Kostant-Rosenberg. The Connes-Chern character is also identified here with the twisted Chern character.

math.KT↗
arXiv2004

T-duality for principal torus bundles

In this paper we study T-duality for principal torus bundles with H-flux. We identify a subset of fluxes which are T-dualizable, and compute both the dual torus bundle as well as the dual H-flux. We briefly discuss the generalized Gysin sequence behind this construction and provide examples both of non T-dualizable and of T-dualizable H-fluxes.

hep-th↗
arXiv2004

On the Topology and Flux of T-Dual Manifolds

We present a general formula for the topology and H-flux of the T-dual of a type two compactification. Our results apply to T-dualities with respect to any free circle action. In particular we find that the manifolds on each side of the duality are circle bundles whose curvatures are given by the integral of the dual H-flux over the dual circle. As a corollary we conjecture an obstruction to multiple T-dualities, generalizing an obstruction known to exist on the twisted torus. Examples include SU(2) WZW models, Lens spaces and the supersymmetric string theory on the non-spin AdS^5xCP^2xS^1 compactification.

hep-th↗
arXiv2004

T-duality for torus bundles via noncommutative topology

It is known that the T-dual of a circle bundle with H-flux (given by a Neveu-Schwarz 3-form) is the T-dual circle bundle with dual H-flux. However, it is also known that torus bundles with H-flux do not necessarily have a T-dual which is a torus bundle. A big puzzle has been to explain these mysterious "missing T-duals.'' Here we show that this problem is resolved using noncommutative topology. It turns out that every principal 2-torus-bundle with H-flux does indeed have a T-dual, but in the missing cases (which we characterize), the T-dual is non-classical and is a bundle of noncommutative tori. The duality comes with an isomorphism of twisted K-theories, just as in the classical case. The isomorphism of twisted cohomology which one gets in the classical case is replaced by an isomorphism of twisted cyclic homology.

hep-th↗
arXiv2003

Chern character in twisted K-theory: equivariant and holomorphic cases

It has been argued by Witten and others that in the presence of a nontrivial B-field, D-brane charges in type IIB string theories are measured by twisted K-theory. In joint work with Bouwknegt, Carey and Murray it was proved that twisted K-theory is canonically isomorphic to bundle gerbe K-theory, whose elements are ordinary vector bundles on a principal projective unitary bundle, with an action of the bundle gerbe determined by the principal projective unitary bundle. The principal projective unitary bundle is in turn determined by the twist. In this paper, we study in more detail the Chern-Weil representative of the Chern character of bundle gerbe K-theory that was introduced previously, and we also extend it to the equivariant and holomorphic cases. Included is a discussion of interesting examples.

hep-th↗
arXiv2002

Approximating Spectral invariants of Harper operators on graphs II

We study Harper operators and the closely related discrete magnetic Laplacians (DML) on a graph with a free action of a discrete group, as defined by Sunada. The spectral density function of the DML is defined using the von Neumann trace associated with the free action of a discrete group on a graph. The main result in this paper states that when the group is amenable, the spectral density function is equal to the integrated density of states of the DML that is defined using either Dirichlet or Neumann boundary conditions. This establishes the main conjecture in a paper by Mathai and Yates. The result is generalized to other self adjoint operators with finite propagation.

math.SP↗
arXiv2001

On positivity of the Kadison constant and noncommutative Bloch theory

In an earlier paper, we established a natural connection between the Baum-Connes conjecture and noncommutative Bloch theory, viz. the spectral theory of projectively periodic elliptic operators on covering spaces. We elaborate on this connection here and provide significant evidence for a fundamental conjecture in noncommutative Bloch theory on the non-existence of Cantor set type spectrum. This is accomplished by establishing an explicit lower bound for the Kadison constant of twisted group C*-algebras in a large number of cases, whenever the multiplier is rational.

math.DG↗
arXiv2000

Approximating $L^2$ torsion on amenable covering spaces

It was pointed out to us that the proof of a crucial lemma (Lemma 5.3) in the paper is incorrect. Thus the approximation theorem (Theorem 0.1) for L^2 torsion of an amenable covering of a finite simplicial complex remains unproved. However, results and proofs of the first four sections (in particular, the approximation theorem (Theorem 0.3) for the spectral density function of an amenable covering) are correct.

math.DG↗
arXiv1999

Twisted index theory on good orbifolds, I: noncommutative Bloch theory

This paper, together with Part II, expands the results of math.DG/9803051. In Part I we study the twisted index theory of elliptic operators on orbifold covering spaces of compact good orbifolds, which are invariant under a projective action of the orbifold fundamental group. We apply these results to obtain qualitative results on real and complex hyperbolic spaces in 2 and 4 dimensions, related to generalizations of the Bethe-Sommerfeld conjecture and the Ten Martini Problem, on the spectrum of self adjoint elliptic operators which are invariant under a projective action of a discrete cocompact group.

math.DG↗
arXiv1999

Twisted higher index theory on good orbifolds, II: fractional quantum numbers

This paper is the continuation of Part I, expanding previous results of math.DG/9803051. This paper uses techniques in noncommutative geometry as developed by Alain Connes in order to study the twisted higher index theory of elliptic operators on orbifold covering spaces of compact good orbifolds, which are invariant under a projective action of the orbifold fundamental group. We also compute the range of the higher cyclic traces on $K$-theory for cocompact Fuchsian groups, which is then applied to determine the range of values of the Connes-Kubo Hall conductance in the discrete model of the quantum Hall effect on the hyperbolic plane. The new phenomenon that we observe in our case is that the Connes-Kubo Hall conductance has plateaux at integral multiples of a fractional valued topological invariant, namely the orbifold Euler characteristic. The set of possible fractions has been determined, and is compared with recently available experimental data.

math.DG↗
arXiv1999

Superconnections, twisted actions and positive scalar curvature

Using Quillen's superconnection formalism we give a new "twisted" approach to the rational Gromov-Lawson-Rosenberg (GLR) conjecture on topological obstructions to the existence of Riemannian metrics of positive scalar curvature on compact spin manifolds. In particular, we present a short proof of the rational GLR conjecture for word hyperbolic groups.

math.DG↗
arXiv1998

Twisted higher index theory on good orbifolds and fractional quantum numbers

The twisted Connes-Moscovici higher index theorem is generalized to the case of good orbifolds. The higher index is shown to be a rational number, and in fact non-integer in specific examples of 2-orbifolds. This results in a non-commutative geometry model that predicts the occurrence of fractional quantum numbers in the Hall effect on the hyperbolic plane.

math.DG↗
arXiv1997

On the homotopy invariance of L^2 torsion for covering spaces

We prove the homotopy invariance of L^2 torsion for covering spaces, whenever the covering transformation group is either residually finite or amenable. In the case when the covering transformation group is residually finite and when the L^2 cohomology of the covering space vanishes, the homotopy invariance was established earlier by Lueck. We also give some applications of our results.

dg-ga↗
arXiv1997

Correspondences, von Neumann algebras and holomorphic L^2 torsion

Given a holomorphic Hilbertian bundle on a compact complex manifold, we introduce the notion of holomorphic $L^2$ torsion, which lies in the determinant line of the twisted $L^2$ Dolbeault cohomology and represents a volume element there. Here we utilise the theory of determinant lines of Hilbertian modules over finite von Neumann algebras as developed in an earlier paper by the authors. This specialises to the Ray-Singer-Quillen holomorphic torsion in the finite dimensional case. We compute a metric variation formula for the holomorphic $L^2$ torsion, which shows that it is not in general independent of the choice of Hermitian metrics on the complex manifold and on the holomorphic Hilbertian bundle, which are needed to define it. We therefore initiate the theory of correspondences of determinant lines, that enables us to define a relative holomorphic $L^2$ torsion for a pair of flat Hilbertian bundles, which we prove is independent of the choice of Hermitian metrics on the complex manifold and on the flat Hilbertian bundles.

dg-ga↗
arXiv1996

Twisted L^2 invariants of non-simply connected manifolds

We develop the theory of twisted L^2-cohomology and twisted spectral invariants for flat Hilbertian bundles over compact manifolds. They can be viewed as functions on the first de Rham cohomology of M and they generalize the standard notions. A new feature of the twisted L^2-cohomology theory is that in addition to satisfying the standard L^2 Morse inequalities, they also satisfy certain asymptotic L^2 Morse inequalities. These reduce to the standard Morse inequalities in the finite dimensional case, and when the Morse 1-form is exact. We define the extended twisted L^2 de Rham cohomology and prove the asymptotic L^2 Morse-Farber inequalities, which give quantitative lower bounds for the Morse numbers of a Morse 1-form on M.

dg-ga↗
arXiv1996

Von Neumann spectra near the spectral gap

In this paper we study some new von Neumann spectral invariants associated to the Laplacian acting on L^2 differential forms on the universal cover of a closed manifold. These invariants coincide with the Novikov-Shubin invariants whenever there is no spectral gap in the spectrum of the Laplacian, and are homotopy invariants in this case. In the presence of a spectral gap, they differ in character and value from the Novikov-Shubin invariants. Under a positivity assumption on these invariants, we prove that certain L^2 theta and L^2 zeta functions defined by metric dependent combinatorial Laplacians acting on $L^2$ cochains associated with a triangulation of the manifold, converge uniformly to their analytic counterparts, as the mesh of the triangulation goes to zero.

dg-ga↗
arXiv1996

Approximating L^2 invariants of amenable covering spaces: A heat kernel approach

In this paper, we prove that the L^2 Betti numbers of an amenable covering space can be approximated by the average Betti numbers of a regular exhaustion, under some hypotheses. We also prove that some L^2 spectral invariants can be approximated by the corresponding average spectral invariants of a regular exhaustion. The main tool which is used is a generalisation of the "principle of not feeling the boundary" (due to M. Kac), for heat kernels associated to boundary value problems.

dg-ga↗