Stability theorems for chiral bag boundary conditions

Abstract

We study asymptotic expansions of the smeared L2-traces Fexp(-t P^2) and FPexp(-tP^2), where P is an operator of Dirac type and F is an auxiliary smooth endomorphism. We impose chiral bag boundary conditions depending on an angle theta. Studying the theta-dependence of the above trace invariants, theta-independent pieces are identified. The associated stability theorems allow one to show the regularity of the eta function for the problem and to determine the most important heat kernel coefficient on a four dimensional manifold.