Index Theorems and Domain Walls

The Atiyah-Patodi-Singer (APS) index theorem relates the index of a Dirac operator to an integral of the Pontryagin density in the bulk (which is equal to global chiral anomaly) and an $\eta$ invariant on the boundary (which defines the parity anomaly). We show that the APS index theorem holds for configurations with domain walls that are defined as surfaces where background gauge fields have discontinuities.Comment: 11+1 pages, v2: a reference adde

Heat Trace Asymptotics on Noncommutative Spaces

This is a mini-review of the heat kernel expansion for generalized Laplacians on various noncommutative spaces. Applications to the spectral action principle, renormalization of noncommutative theories and anomalies are also considered.Comment: This is a contribution to the Proceedings of the 2007 Midwest Geometry Conference in honor of Thomas P. Branson, published in SIGMA (Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry: Methods and Applications) at http://www.emis.de/journals/SIGMA

The Faddeev-Popov trick in the presence of boundaries

We formulate criteria of applicability of the Faddeev-Popov trick to gauge theories on manifolds with boundaries. With the example of Euclidean Maxwell theory we demonstrate that the path integral is indeed gauge independent when these criteria are satisfied, and depends on a gauge choice whenever these criteria are violated. In the latter case gauge dependent boundary conditions are required for a self-consistent formulation of the path intgral.Comment: LaTEX, 10p