- CONSTRUCTION OF THE PARAMETRIX FOR THE HEAT KERNEL 225
a cutoff function to obtain a parametrix for the heat operator. Define the
function
by
(23.35) PN (x, t; y, u) ~ rJ (d (x, y)) HN (x, t; y, u),
where rJ : [O, oo) --+ [O, 1] is a C^00 radial cutoff function with
(23.36) rJ (s) = { -^4 '
1 if S < inj(g)
0 if S 2: injJg).
Note that rJ (x, y) ~ rJ (d (x, y)) is C^00 on all of M x M. Moreover, we may
assume that rJ is such that there exists a constant C < oo depending only
on inj (g) such that
l\7 xrJI :S Cy'ij :S C and l.6.xrJI :S C
on M x M. We also have bounds for all of the.higher derivatives of r], i.e.,
there exist Ck< oo such that on M x M
1\7~r]1 :::; ck fork 2: 2.
Since HN is C^00 on Minj(g) x :IRS, and the support of rJ (d (x, y)) is con-
tained in Minj(g)' we conclude that PN E C^00 (M x M x :IRS,). Note that
(23.37) JM IPN (x, t; y, u)I dμ (y) :::; C
for some constant C < oo.
PROPOSiTION· 23.12 (Existence of a parametrix for the heat operator).
If N > n/2, then PN is a parametrix for the heat operator .6. - gt.
PROOF. (0) We have already shown that PN E C^00 (M x M x :IRS,).
(1) We have
(23.38) DxPN = r]DxHN + (.6.xrJ) HN + 2 (\7 xrJ, \7 HN).
To show that DxPN extends continuously to M x M x :IRS,, we estimate the
RHS of (23.38) on M x M x JRi, where JR~ is defined in (23.30). Observe that
we may estimate DxPN in three relatively open sets covering this region as
follows.
(i) In the exterior region (M x M - Minj(g); 2 ) x :IRS, we have
PN := 0 and DxPN := 0.
(ii) In. the interior region Minj(g)/4 x :IRS, we have
DxPN = DxHN.
Recall that DxHN satisfies (23.28) and extends continuously to a function
defined o~ Minj(g) x :IRS,, which takes the value O on Minj(g) x 8 (:IRS,).