Degree of the generalized Plücker embedding of a Quot scheme and quantum cohomology (Q1392390)

We compute the degree of the generalized Plücker embedding \(\kappa\) of a Quot scheme \(X\) over \(\mathbb{P}^1\). The space \(X\) can also be considered as a compactification of the space of algebraic maps of a fixed degree from \(\mathbb{P}^1\) to the Grassmannian \(\text{Grass} (m,n)\). Then the degree of the embedded variety \(\kappa (X)\) can be interpreted as an intersection product of pullbacks of cohomology classes from \(\text{Grass} (m,n)\) through the map \(\psi\) that evaluates a map from \(\mathbb{P}^1\) at a point \(x\in \mathbb{P}^1\). We show that our formula for the degree verifies the formula for these intersection products predicted by physicists through quantum cohomology [cf. \textit{C. Vafa}, in: Essays on mirror manifolds, 96-119 (1992; Zbl 0827.58073), \textit{K. Intriligatov}, Mod. Phys. Letters A6, No. 38, 3543-3556 (1991) and \textit{E. Witten} in: Geometry, topology and physics for R. Bott, Conf. Proc. Lect. Notes Geom. Topol. 4, 357-422 (1995; Zbl 0863.53054)]. We arrive at the degree by proving a version of the classical Pieri formula on the variety \(X\), using a cell decomposition of a space that lies in between \(X\) and \(\kappa(X)\).