Spectral approximation by L 2 discretization of the Laplace operator on manifolds of bounded geometry

The author considers a discretization of the p-form Laplacian on open complete Riemannian manifolds of bounded geometry. Following Dodziuk and Patodi [8], the eigenvalues below the essential spectrum together with their eigenforms are approximated by eigenvalues and eigencochains of a semicombinatorical Laplacian acting on L₂-cochains. We obtain a similar result for a ray which is contained in the essential spectrum. An example of a manifold of bounded geometry which admits eigenvalues below the essential spectrum is constructed.