Transversality for equivariant exact 1-forms and gauge theory on 3-manifolds (Q817576)

In order to extend the definition of Casson's invariant to larger structure groups and more manifolds there are a number of technical points that need to be addressed. One of the most subtle points is transversality. This paper covers technical equivariant transversality results sufficient for the definitions of a \(U(3)\) or \(SU(3)\) Casson invariant for rational homology spheres and a \(U(4)\) or \(SU(4)\) Casson invariant for integral homology spheres. All of the details are described carefully. At the heart of the technical difficulties is the fact that the span of equivariant \(k\)-jets (coefficients of \(k\)th order Taylor polynomials) does not form a vector bundle because the fiber dimension varies. This can be seen in the natural action of \(SO(2)\) on \({\mathbb R}^2\): the derivation of a smooth invariant function at the origin must be zero while the radical derivative away from the origin can be arbitrary. To overcome this difficulty one must work with stratified spaces. The author provides a good exposition describing the non-equivariant case first before moving to the more technical equivariant case.