Questions tagged [equivariant-cohomology]

66 questions
13
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1 answer

Interpretation of Borel equivariant cohomology.

This question should have a good answer somewhere on here, but as of yet I've been unable to find one. Any links to existing writings would be very welcome. My question relates to how exactly one should interpret the Borel cohomology $H^*_{G}X$ of a…
11
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1 answer

Explanation for a line from a MathOverflow answer

Sometimes I see questions answered on MathOverflow in such a way that I don't really understand the answers. Sometimes I work out what they mean, and other times I can't. I'd like to ask for more clarification, but the answers are often from years…
6
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$G$-spaces vs spaces with a $G$-action

In equivariant homotopy theory, it seems like one tends to consider "genuine" $G$-spaces or $G$-spectra, rather than spaces (spectra) with a $G$-action. My (rather soft) question is : why is that a reasonable thing to consider ? For instance, a…
6
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2 answers

Equivariant cohomology via equivariant sheaves

Ordinary cohomology of topological space $X$ are known to be the cohomology of constant sheaf. Question Is there analogous description for equivariant cohomology? More precisely. Consider category of $G$ equivariant sheaves $\mathcal{Sh}_G (X)$.…
5
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What is the $S^1$-equivariant cup product on $S^2$?

Consider the sphere $S^2 = \mathbb{CP}^1$ with the $S^1 = \{ \tau \in \mathbb{C} \mid |\tau| = 1 \}$ action given by $$ \tau \cdot [z_1, z_2] = [\tau ^ k \cdot z_1, z_2] $$ The corresponding $S^1$-equivariant cohomology is…
5
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1 answer

Definition of equivariant cohomology

Classically equivariant cohomology is defined as in Wikipedia. I found the following definition in Steenrod's Cohomology Operations in the chapter "Equivariant Cohomology". Here $\rho$ is a group, $A$ a left $\rho$-module and $K$ a chain complex on…
5
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0 answers

Equivariant cohomology with respect to Lie group and its maximal torus

Let $G$ be a compact connected Lie group, $T \subset G$ its maximal torus and $W=N(T)/T$ its Weyl group. The formula 2.11 of Atiyah, Bott The Moment Map and Equivariant Cohomology states that for any topological space $X$ with an action of $G$ the…
5
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1 answer

Proving one version of equivariant formality

Let $G$ be a compact, connected Lie group acting smoothly on a compact, connected and oriented smooth manifold $M$. We denote by $H_G^*(M)$ the corresponding equivariant cohomology. We have a canonical map, the characteristic…
4
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1 answer

A misunderstanding about Sullivan's conjecture

In this old blog post, Akhil Mathew describes the Sullivan conjecture and part of Miller's proof of a special case. There's a point in the beginning which is not clear to me, about $p$-completions at different primes than $2$ (or, more generally, at…
4
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1 answer

$Z_2$ Equivariant K-theory of $S^1$

I am interested in the $\mathbf{Z}_2$ equivariant K-theory of $S^1$, but I cannot find any good references or methods to calculate it with the action I have in mind. The action on $S^1$ is an inversion, so $(x,y) \to (-x,-y)$. This action does not…
3
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Equivariant K-theory of a contractible variety

Let $X$ be an affine algebraic variety (over $\mathbb{C}$). Let $H$ be an algebraic group acting on $X$. Assume also that there exists an action of $\mathbb{C}^\times$ on $X$ commuting with the action of $H$ and contracting $X$ to one point. Let…
3
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2 answers

Cohomology Isomorphism of Classifying Spaces and Equivalence of Compact Lie Groups

Let $R$ be a commutative ring with unity, and let $G$ and $H$ be compact Lie groups with $BG$ and $BH$ as their respective classifying spaces. If there exists isomorphism $H^j(BH; R) \to H^j(BG; R)$ for all $j\geq 0$, can we conclude that the groups…
3
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Equivariant Hochschild/Harrison (co)homology

We have the equivariant cohomology theory in topology/geometry, when the topological space has a group action, equivariant cohomology is a functor that reflects both the topology of the space and the action of the group. For an introduction please…
3
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1 answer

Why does the fixed point locus of a circle action always have even codimension

So I'm studying equivariant cohomology, and I am in particular interested in the case where there is a $U(1)$ action on a Riemannian manifold $\mathcal{M}$. This is generated by some vector field $\xi\in\mathfrak{X}(\mathcal{M})$. The fixed points…
3
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Definition of Cartan Model - Equivariant forms

Let $G$ be a connected Lie group and let $\mathfrak{g}$ be its Lie algebra. Let $M$ be a $G$-manifold. The Cartan model of $M$ is the $\Omega_G(M) := \{ a \in S(\mathfrak{g}^*) \otimes \Omega(M) | a \text{ is invariant} \}$. First definition of…
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