A Conformally Invariant Holographic Two-Point Function on the Berger Sphere

We apply our previous work on Green's functions for the four-dimensional quaternionic Taub-NUT manifold to obtain a scalar two-point function on the homogeneously squashed three-sphere (otherwise known as the Berger sphere), which lies at its conformal infinity. Using basic notions from conformal geometry and the theory of boundary value problems, in particular the Dirichlet-to-Robin operator, we establish that our two-point correlation function is conformally invariant and corresponds to a boundary operator of conformal dimension one. It is plausible that the methods we use could have more general applications in an AdS/CFT context.Comment: 1+49 pages, no figures. v2: Several typos correcte

Minimal energy problems for strongly singular Riesz kernels

We study minimal energy problems for strongly singular Riesz kernels on a manifold. Based on the spatial energy of harmonic double layer potentials, we are motivated to formulate the natural regularization of such problems by switching to Hadamard's partie finie integral operator which defines a strongly elliptic pseudodifferential operator on the manifold. The measures with finite energy are shown to be elements from the corresponding Sobolev space, and the associated minimal energy problem admits a unique solution. We relate our continuous approach also to the discrete one, which has been worked out earlier by D.P. Hardin and E.B. Saff.Comment: 31 pages, 2 figure

Diffractive Theorems for the Wave Equation with Inverse Square Potential

We first establish the presence of a diffractive front in the fundamental solution of the wave operator with a diract delta intial condition in two dimensional euclidean space caused by the potentials perturbation on the spherical laplacian. This motivates a result which restricts the propagation of singularities for the wave operator with a more general potential to precisely these diffractive fronts higher dimensional euclidean spaces. This is proven using microlocal energy estimates.Comment: 41 pages, 6 figure

Asymptotic distribution of quasi-normal modes for Kerr-de Sitter black holes

We establish a Bohr-Sommerfeld type condition for quasi-normal modes of a slowly rotating Kerr-de Sitter black hole, providing their full asymptotic description in any strip of fixed width. In particular, we observe a Zeeman-like splitting of the high multiplicity modes at a=0 (Schwarzschild-de Sitter), once spherical symmetry is broken. The numerical results presented in Appendix B show that the asymptotics are in fact accurate at very low energies and agree with the numerical results established by other methods in the physics literature. We also prove that solutions of the wave equation can be asymptotically expanded in terms of quasi-normal modes; this confirms the validity of the interpretation of their real parts as frequencies of oscillations, and imaginary parts as decay rates of gravitational waves.Comment: 66 pages, 6 figures; journal version (to appear in Annales Henri Poincar\'e

Index in K-theory for families of fibred cusp operators

A families index theorem in K-theory is given for the setting of Atiyah, Patodi and Singer of a family of Dirac operators with spectral boundary condition. This result is deduced from such a K-theory index theorem for the calculus of cusp, or more generally fibred cusp, pseudodifferential operators on the fibres (with boundary) of a fibration; a version of Poincare duality is also shown in this setting, identifying the stable Fredholm families with elements of a bivariant K-group.Comment: 64 pages, corrected typo