SEELEY-GILKEY COEFFICIENTS FOR 4TH-ORDER OPERATORS ON A RIEMANNIAN MANIFOLD

The covariant pseudodifferential-operator method of Widom is developed for computing the coefficients in the heat kernel expansion. It allows one to calculate Seeley-Gilkey coefficients for both minimal and nonminimal differential operators acting on a vector bundle over a riemannian manifold. The coefficients for the fourth-order minimal operators in arbitrary dimensions of space are calculated. In contrast to the second-order operators the coefficients for the fourth-order (and higher) operators turn out to be essentially dependent on the space dimension. The algorithmic character of the method allows one to calculate the coefficients by computer using an analytical calculation system. The method also permits a simple generalization to manifolds with torsion and supermanifolds. © 1990.