A weighted topological quantum field theory for quot schemes on curves (Q2332868)

The Grohtendieck Quot scheme over a smooth projective curve of genus \(g\) has as closed points short exact sequences of coherent sheaves \(0\to E\to V\to F\to 0\) with \(E\) of rank \(r\) and \(V\) of rank \(r+s\). When \(g\geq2\) and \(V\) is a general stable vector bundle the Quot scheme parametrizing rank \(r\) subbundles of \(V\) of maximal degree is smooth of expected dimension \(0\). On the other hand, Quot schemes of trivial bundles are not always of expected dimension. Marion-Oprea gave an interpretation of them in terms of a TQFT defined by Witten, whose vector space is the cohomology ring of the Grassmanian \(\text{Gr}(r,\mathbb{C}^{r+s})\). The main result of this paper is that one can define a well-behaved weighted TQFT that subsumes Witten's, in particular all Quot schemes have expected dimension \(0\) (even in genus \(0\) and \(1\)). The weighted TQFT is defined by replacing trivial bundles by general vector bundles with the degree as an extra parameter, additive under the composition of maps. The degree zero maps form a usual TQFT, which corresponds to the small quantum cohomology of the Grassmanian, and the maps of Witten's TQFT are obtained from the weighted ones by an explicit relabeling. Moreover, the weighted TQFT is explicitly computable, and recovers known formulas for the number of points in the Quot schemes, such as Holla's formula in terms of the Gromov-Witten invariants of the Grassmanian, and Marion-Oprea's in terms of Verlinde numbers.