Heat kernel, moment map and moduli space
I will describe some applications of the heat kernel to symplectic geometry,
including the non-abelian localization formula and intersection numbers
on the moduli space of flat connections on a Riemann surface. The method
can be viewed as a natural extension of the heat kernel proof of the
Atiyah-Singer index formula and the Atiyah-Bott fixed point formula. The
common spirit is a local to global principle in geometry and topology.
Winter 1998 meeting of the PNGS