Positive Scalar Curvature on Spin Pseudomanifolds: the Fundamental Group and Secondary Invariants

In this paper we continue the study of positive scalar curvature (psc) metrics on a depth-1 Thom-Mather stratified space $M_\Sigma$ with singular stratum $\beta M$ (a closed manifold of positive codimension) and associated link equal to $L$, a smooth compact manifold. We briefly call such spaces manifolds with $L$-fibered singularities. Under suitable spin assumptions we give necessary index-theoretic conditions for the existence of wedge metrics of positive scalar curvature. Assuming in addition that $L$ is a simply connected homogeneous space of positive scalar curvature, $L=G/H$, with the semisimple compact Lie group $G$ acting transitively on $L$ by isometries, we investigate when these necessary conditions are also sufficient. Our main result is that our conditions are indeed sufficient for large classes of examples, even when $M_\Sigma$ and $\beta M$ are not simply connected. We also investigate the space of such psc metrics and show that it often splits into many cobordism classes

K-duality for stratified pseudomanifolds

This paper is devoted to the study of Poincar\'e duality in K-theory for general stratified pseudomanifolds. We review the axiomatic definition of a smooth stratification \fS of a topological space $X$ and we define a groupoid T^{\fS}X, called the \fS-tangent space. This groupoid is made of different pieces encoding the tangent spaces of the strata, and these pieces are glued into the smooth noncommutative groupoid T^{\fS}X using the familiar procedure introduced by A. Connes for the tangent groupoid of a manifold. The main result is that C^{*}(T^{\fS}X) is Poincar\'e dual to $C(X)$, in other words, the \fS-tangent space plays the role in $K$-theory of a tangent space for $X$

Triangulations of 3-dimensional pseudomanifolds with an application to state-sum invariants

We demonstrate the triangulability of compact 3-dimensional topological pseudomanifolds and study the properties of such triangulations, including the Hauptvermutung and relations by Alexander star moves and Pachner bistellar moves. We also provide an application to state-sum invariants of 3-dimensional topological pseudomanifoldsComment: Published by Algebraic and Geometric Topology at http://www.maths.warwick.ac.uk/agt/AGTVol4/agt-4-24.abs.htm

Groupoids and an index theorem for conical pseudo-manifolds

We define an analytical index map and a topological index map for conical pseudomanifolds. These constructions generalize the analogous constructions used by Atiyah and Singer in the proof of their topological index theorem for a smooth, compact manifold $M$. A main ingredient is a non-commutative algebra that plays in our setting the role of $C_0(T^*M)$. We prove a Thom isomorphism between non-commutative algebras which gives a new example of wrong way functoriality in $K$-theory. We then give a new proof of the Atiyah-Singer index theorem using deformation groupoids and show how it generalizes to conical pseudomanifolds. We thus prove a topological index theorem for conical pseudomanifolds

Intersection homology with field coefficients: KK-Witt spaces and KK-Witt bordism

We construct geometric examples of pseudomanifolds that satisfy the Witt condition for intersection homology Poincare duality with respect to certain fields but not others. We also compute the bordism theory of $K$-Witt spaces for an arbitrary field $K$, extending results of Siegel for $K=Q$.Comment: 26 pages; also available at http://faculty.tcu.edu/gfriedman/ - Corrected version (proof of Lemma 4.11 corrected

Generalized Sums over Histories for Quantum Gravity II. Simplicial Conifolds

This paper examines the issues involved with concretely implementing a sum over conifolds in the formulation of Euclidean sums over histories for gravity. The first step in precisely formulating any sum over topological spaces is that one must have an algorithmically implementable method of generating a list of all spaces in the set to be summed over. This requirement causes well known problems in the formulation of sums over manifolds in four or more dimensions; there is no algorithmic method of determining whether or not a topological space is an n-manifold in five or more dimensions and the issue of whether or not such an algorithm exists is open in four. However, as this paper shows, conifolds are algorithmically decidable in four dimensions. Thus the set of 4-conifolds provides a starting point for a concrete implementation of Euclidean sums over histories in four dimensions. Explicit algorithms for summing over various sets of 4-conifolds are presented in the context of Regge calculus. Postscript figures available via anonymous ftp at black-hole.physics.ubc.ca (137.82.43.40) in file gen2.ps.Comment: 82pp., plain TeX, To appear in Nucl. Phys. B,FF-92-