Traces and Quasi-traces on the Boutet de Monvel Algebra

We construct an analogue of Kontsevich and Vishik's canonical trace for a class of pseudodifferential boundary value problems in Boutet de Monvel's calculus on compact manifolds with boundary. For an operator A in the calculus (of class zero), and an auxiliary operator B, formed of the Dirichlet realization of a strongly elliptic second-order differential operator and an elliptic operator on the boundary, we consider the coefficient C_0(A,B) of (-\lambda)^{-N} in the asymptotic expansion of the resolvent trace Tr(A(B-\lambda)^{-N}) (with N large) in powers and log-powers of \lambda as \lambda tends to infinity in a suitable sector of the complex plane. C_0(A,B) identifies with the coefficient of s^0 in the Laurent series for the meromorphic extension of the generalized zeta function \zeta(A,B,s)= Tr(AB^{-s}) at s=0, when B is invertible. We show that C_0(A,B) is in general a quasi-trace, in the sense that it vanishes on commutators [A,A'] modulo local terms, and has a specific value independent of B modulo local terms; and we single out particular cases where the local ``errors'' vanish so that C_0(A,B) is a well-defined trace of A. Our main tool is a precise analysis of the asymptotic expansion of the resolvent trace, based on pseudodifferential calculations involving rational functions (in particular Laguerre functions) of the normal variable.Comment: Final version to appear in Ann. Inst. Fourie

Traces in monoidal categories

The main result of this paper is the construction of a trace and a trace pairing for endomorphisms satisfying suitable conditions in a monoidal category. This construction is a common generalization of the trace for endomorphisms of dualizable ob jects in a balanced monoidal category and the trace of nuclear operators on a locally convex topological vector space with the approximation property

Traces in braided categories

With any even Hecke symmetry R (that is a Hecke type solution of the Yang-Baxter equation) we associate a quasitensor category. We formulate a condition on R implying that the constructed category is rigid and its commutativity isomorphisms R_{U,V} are natural. We show that this condition leads to rescaling of the initial Hecke symmetry. We suggest a new way of introducing traces as properly normalized categorical morphisms End(V) --> K and deduce the corresponding normalization from categorical dimensions.Comment: Source: Revised version, a more attention is given to the problem of trace definition and its proper normalization in braided categories with Hecke type braidings. Minor corrections in Introduction. LaTex file, all macros included, no figure