Given an acyclic representation  of the fundamental group of a compact oriented odd-dimensional manifold, which is close enough to an acyclic unitary representation, we define a refinement T of the Ray-Singer torsion associated to , which can be viewed as the analytic counterpart of the refined combinatorial torsion introduced by Turaev. T is equal to the graded determinant of the odd signature operator up to a correction term, the metric anomaly, needed to make it independent of the choice of the Riemannian metric.T is a holomorphic function on the space of such representations of the fundamental group. When  is a unitary representation, the absolute value of T is equal to the Ray-Singer torsion and the phase of T is proportional to the -invariant of the odd signature operator. The fact that the Ray-Singer torsion and the-invariant can be combined into one holomorphic function allows one to use methods of complex analysis to study both invariants. In particular, using these methods we compute the quotient of the refined analytic torsion and Turaev’s refinement of the combinatorial torsion generalizing in this way the classical Cheeger-M¨uller theorem. As an application, we extend and improve a result of Farber about the relationship between the Farber-Turaev absolute torsion and the -invariant. As part of our construction of T we prove several new results about determinants and -invariants of non self-adjoint elliptic operators.

We derive large time upper bounds for heat kernels on vector bundles of differential forms on a class of non-compact Riemannian manifolds under certain curvature conditions.

In this paper, we establish an analytic foundation for a fully non-linear equation 2 1 = f on manifolds with metrics of positive scalar curvature and apply it to give a (rough) classification of such manifolds. A crucial point is a simple observation that this equation is a degenerate elliptic equation without any condition on the sign of f and it is elliptic not only for f > 0 but also for f < 0. By defining a Yamabe constant Y2,1 with respect to this equation, we show that a manifold with metrics of positive scalar curvature admits a conformal metric of positive scalar curvature and positive 2-scalar curvature if and only if Y2,1 > 0. We give a complete solution for the corresponding Yamabe problem. Namely, let g0 be a positive scalar curvature metric, then in its conformal class there is a conformal metric with 2(g) = 1(g), for some constant . Using these analytic results, we give a rough classification of the space of manifolds with metrics of positive scalar curvature.

We introduce new finite-dimensional cohomologies on symplectic manifolds. Each exhibits Lefschetz decomposition and contains a unique harmonic representative within each class. Associated with each cohomology is a primitive cohomology defined purely on the space of primitive forms. We identify the dual currents of lagrangians and more generally coisotropic submanifolds with elements of a primitive cohomology, which dualizes to a homology on coisotropic chains.

Let be the scattering relation on a compact Riemannian manifold M with non-necessarily convex boundary, that maps initial points of geodesic rays on the boundary and initial directions to the outgoing point on the boundary and the outgoing direction. Let . be the length of that geodesic ray. We study the question of whether the metric g is uniquely determined, up to an isometry, by knowledge of 冃 and . restricted on some subset D. We allow possible conjugate points but we assume that the conormal bundle of the geodesics issued from D covers T M; and that those geodesics have no conjugate points. Under an additional topological assumption, we prove that 冃 and . restricted to D uniquely recover an isometric copy of g locally near generic metrics, and in particular, near real analytic ones.