Approximations of delocalized eta invariants by their finite analogues

Abstract: For a given self-adjoint first order elliptic differential operator on a closed smooth manifold, we prove a list of results on when the delocalized eta invariant associated to a regular covering space can be approximated by the delocalized eta invariants associated to finite-sheeted covering spaces. One of our main results is the following. Suppose $M$ is a closed smooth spin manifold and $\widetilde M$ is a $\Gamma$-regular covering space of $M$. Let $\langle \alpha \rangle$ be the conjugacy class of a non-identity element $\alpha\in \Gamma$. Suppose ${\Gamma_i}$ is a sequence of finite-index normal subgroups of $\Gamma$ that distinguishes $\langle \alpha \rangle$. Let $\pi_{\Gamma_i}$ be the quotient map from $\Gamma$ to $\Gamma/\Gamma_i$ and $\langle \pi_{\Gamma_i}(\alpha) \rangle$ the conjugacy class of $\pi_{\Gamma_i}(\alpha)$ in $\Gamma/\Gamma_i$. If the scalar curvature on $M$ is everywhere bounded below by a sufficiently large positive number, then the delocalized eta invariant for the Dirac operator of $\widetilde M$ at the conjugacy class $\langle \alpha \rangle$ is equal to the limit of the delocalized eta invariants for the Dirac operators of $M_{\Gamma_i}$ at the conjugacy class $\langle \pi_{\Gamma_i}(\alpha) \rangle$, where $M_{\Gamma_i}= \widetilde M/\Gamma_i$ is the finite-sheeted covering space of $M$ determined by $\Gamma_i$. In another main result of the paper, we prove that the limit of the delocalized eta invariants for the Dirac operators of $M_{\Gamma_i}$ at the conjugacy class $\langle \pi_{\Gamma_i}(\alpha) \rangle$ converges, under the assumption that the rational maximal Baum-Connes conjecture holds for $\Gamma$.