Segre classes and Damon-Kempf-Laksov formula in algebraic cobordism (Q2314799)

The interesting paper under review aims to extend to algebraic cobordism a number of celebrated determinantal formulas intended to compute the fundamental classes of degeneracy loci of maps of vector bundles. More precisely, assume that \(X\) is a smooth complete algebraic variety endowed with some reasonable intersection theory, say \(A^*(X)\). Recall that if \(\phi\) is a map of vector bundles over \(X\), one wishes to compute the fundamental classes (provided they are defined) of degeneracy loci of the map \(\phi\). If \(A^*(X)=\mathrm{CH}(X)\), the Chow ring, then the classical celebrated Porteous' formula does the job, provided the expected dimension of the considered degeneracy locus coincides with the actual one. It turns out that Porteous' formula is just a particular case of a celebrated determinantal formula due to Damon, Kempf and Laksov (DKL), computing the fundamental class, in the Chow ring of Grassmann bundles \(G_d(E)\), parametrizing \(d\) dimensional vector subspaces of the fibers of some vector bundle \(E\), of Schubert varieties naturally associated to filtrations of the bundle itself. If the bundle \(E\) is trivial, the aforementioned formula reduces to the classical Giambelli's formula of classical Schubert calculus. The sequel of the story is as follows. Already more than one decade ago, Levine and Morel came up by introducing the theory of \textit{algebraic cobordism} [\textit{M. Levine} and \textit{F. Morel}, Algebraic cobordism. Berlin: Springer (2007; Zbl 1188.14015)], denoted by \(\Omega^*\). As pointed out in the paper under review, algebraic cobordism is universal among all oriented cohomology theories, understood as families of functors. These latter include, for example, the Chow theory as well as a graded version \(K_0[\beta,\beta^{-1}]\) of the Grothendieck ring of vector bundles, a smart interpolation of the \(K\)-theory and the Chow theory. Its universality implies that formulas holding in \(\Omega^*\) suitably specialises to formulas in all other theories. It turns out, to say it with a slogan, that the main achievement of the article under review is the lifting of the DKL formula from the Chow theory to the algebraic cobordism \(\Omega^*\). The success of the attempt is recorded and certified by the main results, a couple of very nice theorems, that in the paper are numbered 4.9 and 5.7. In Theorem 4.9 the authors consider a Schubert variety \(X_\lambda\) in a Grassmann bundle \(G_d(E)\), perform the Damon resolution \(Y_\lambda\) and push forward its class to the algebraic cobordism ring of \(G_d(E)\). The output is a linear combination of Schur determinants evaluated at suitable lifts of Segre classes to the Grothendieck ring of vector bundles. The second main Theorem 5.7, is then concerned with the geometrical interpretation of the extended Segre class of a virtual bundle, whose evaluation is prescribed by the former theorem. The interpretation is based on an equality, taking place in the algebraic cobordism ring of \(X\), relating a suitable extension of the Segre class of a virtual bundle \(V-W\) with a certain push-forward of the Chern class of a twist of the dual of \(W\). The paper divides itself into five sections: the climax is reached in Section 5, where the extension of the Damon-Kempf-Laksov determinantal formula is achieved. The abundant reference list is more than the potential reader may need to reconstruct all the pre-requisites one needs to fully enjoy the clean mathematics displayed in this elegant paper.