A note on traces for the Heisenberg calculus

Abstract: In previous work, we gave a local formula for the index of Heisenberg elliptic operators on contact manifolds. We constructed a cocycle in periodic cyclic cohomology which, when paired with the Connes-Chern character of the principal Heisenberg symbol, calculates the index. A crucial ingredient of our index formula was a new trace on the algebra of Heisenberg pseudodifferential operators. The construction of this trace was rather involved. In the present paper, we clarify the nature of this trace.