Witten's top Chern class via cosection localization (Q2350295)

A Landau-Ginzburg (LG) space is a pair \(([\mathbb{C}^n/G],W)\), where \(G<\mathrm{GL}(n,\mathbb{C})\) is a finite subgroup, and \(W\) is a non-degenerate quasi-homogeneous \(G\)-invariant polynomial in \(n\) variables. For \(G=\mathbb{Z}_{k+1}, W=x^{k+1}\) Witten used the equation now bearing his name to construct ``topological gravity coupled to matter'', and the requisite mathematical structures were later worked out for this example. Proper moduli spaces of nodal spin curves were constructed by Abramovich and Jarvis, and the ``top Chern class'' by Polishchuk-Vaintrobe, Chiodo and Mochizuki using different methods. The general case was formalized by Fan-Jarvis-Ruan, it is the Gromov-Witten theory of the singularity \((W=0)/G\), commonly called the FJRW theory. In this paper the authors give an alternative mathematical construction when representation factors of point automorphism groups are nontrivial at all marked points on spin curves. They verify all the expected properties of the virtual class for their definition, and prove that it is equivalent to Chiodo's, Polishchuk-Vaintrob's and FJRW, the implied equivalence of the last two is new. The paper's construction is an algebraic analog of the Witten's informal one. The Witten equation gives a differentiable section of the obstruction sheaf, and his class is obtained via the homology class generated by the solution space of the equation's transverse perturbation. The authors proceed as follows. First, a moduli stack \(\overline{M}_{g,\gamma}(G)\) of \(G\)-spin \(l\)-pointed genus \(g\) twisted nodal curves banded by a collection of representations \(\gamma\) is formed. From it they construct the moduli of \(G\)-spin curves with fields \(\overline{M}_{g,\gamma}(G)^p\), which is a DM stack with perfect obstruction theory relative to \(\overline{M}_{g,\gamma}(G)\). Next, the polynomial \(W\) is used to construct a cosection of it, whose non-surjective locus is proper and contained in \(\overline{M}_{g,\gamma}(G)\). The virtual class \([\overline{M}_{g,\gamma}(G)^p]^{\mathrm{vir}}\) is then obtained via a cosection localized Gysin map, by applying a construction of Kiem and Li. This is the ``top Chern class'' of Witten. Because the relative obstruction theory of \(\overline{M}_{g,\gamma}(G)^p\) to \(\overline{M}_{g,\gamma}(G)\) is linear the virtual class can be expressed in terms of localized Chern classes of certain complexes, implying the equivalence to the class of Polishchuk-Vaintrob. The equivalence to the FJRW class (when pushed to the ordinary homology) follows from the topological nature of the cosection localized class.