We give a direct calculation of the curvature of the Hitchin connection, in geometric quantization on a symplectic manifold, using only differential geometric techniques. In particular, we establish that the curvature acts as a first-order operator on the quantum spaces. Projective flatness follows if the Kahler structures do not admit holomorphic vector fields. Following Witten, we define a complex variant of the Hitchin connection on the bundle of prequantum spaces. The curvature is essentially unchanged, so projective flatness holds in the same cases. Finally, the results are applied to quantum Chern-Simons theory, both for compact and complex gauge groups.
We state Asymptotic Expansion and Growth Rate conjectures for the Witten-Reshetikhin-Turaev invariants of arbitrary framed links in 3-manifolds, and we prove these conjectures for the natural links in mapping tori of finite-order automorphisms of marked surfaces. Our approach is based upon geometric quantisation of the moduli space of parabolic bundles on the surface, which we show coincides with the construction of the Witten-Reshetikhin-Turaev invariants using conformal field theory, as was recently completed by Andersen and Ueno.
We identify the leading order term of the asymptotic expansion of the Witten-Reshetikhin-Turaev invariants for finite order mapping tori with classical invariants for all simple and simply-connected compact Lie groups. The square root of the Reidemeister torsion is used as a density on the moduli space of flat connections and the leading order term is identified with the integral over this moduli space of this density weighted by a certain phase for each component of the moduli space. We also identify this phase in terms of classical invariants such as Chern-Simons invariants, eta invariants, spectral flow and the rho invariant. As a result, we show agreement with the semiclassical approximation as predicted by the method of stationary phase.
In this paper, we will provide a review of the geometric construction, proposed by Witten, of the SU(n) quantum representations of the mapping class groups which are part of the Reshetikhin-Turaev TQFT for the quantum group U_q(sl(n, C)). In particular, we recall the differential geometric construction of Hitchins projectively flat connection in the bundle over Teichmuller space obtained by push-forward of the determinant line bundle over the moduli space of rank n, fixed determinant, semi-stable bundles fibering over Teichmuller space. We recall the relation between the Hitchin connection and Toeplitz operators which was first used by the first named author to prove the asymptotic faithfulness of the SU(n) quantum representations of the mapping class groups. We further review the construction of the formal Hitchin connection, and we discuss its relation to the full asymptotic expansion of the curve operators of Topological Quantum Field Theory. We then go on to identifying the first terms in the formal parallel transport of the Hitchin connection explicitly. This allows us to identify the first terms in the resulting star product on functions on the moduli space. This is seen to agree with the first term in the star product on holonomy functions on these moduli spaces defined by Andersen, Mattes and Reshetikhin.
We give a differential geometric construction of a connection in the bundle of quantum Hilbert spaces arising from half-form corrected geometric quantization of a prequantizable, symplectic manifold, endowed with a rigid, family of Kahler structures, all of which give vanishing first Dolbeault cohomology groups. In [And1] Andersen gave an explicit construction of Hitchins connection in the non-corrected case using additional assumptions. Under the same assumptions we also give an explicit solution in terms of Ricci potentials. Morover we show that if these are carefully chosen the construction coincides with the construction of Andersen in the non-corrected case.
