Semi-perfect obstruction theory and Donaldson-Thomas invariants of derived objects (Q429265)

The purpose of the paper under review is to introduce the notion of a semi-perfect obstruction theory of a Deligne-Mumford stack and to construct an associated virtual cycle. The authors begin by studying the local situation. Roughly, one considers a pure dimension smooth Artin stack \(\mathcal{M}\) with a morphism from a scheme of finite type \(U\) to it. The notion of a (truncated) perfect (relative) obstruction theory of \(U\rightarrow\mathcal{M}\) is known and is, roughly, a morphism (satisfying some properties) in \(D(U)\), the derived category of \(U\), from a perfect complex \(E\) of amplitude contained in \([-1,0]\) to the truncation of the relative cotangent complex of \(U\rightarrow\mathcal{M}\). Given any coherent sheaf on \(U\), one has the associated sheaf stack and it makes sense to talk about integral cycles in this stack. In particular, this applies to \(h^1(E^\vee)\). The authors construct a cycle associated to the perfect obstruction theory and built from the intrinsic normal cone, and show that it is independent, in a suitable sense, from the obstruction theory chosen. Section 3 deals with the ``global'' setting. Let \(\mathcal{M}\) be as before and \(X\) be a Deligne-Mumford stack locally of finite type with a morphism \(X\rightarrow\mathcal{M}\). A semi-perfect obstruction theory \(\phi\) of \(X\rightarrow\mathcal{M}\) consists of an étale covering of \(X\) by affine schemes and truncated perfect relative obstruction theories associated to this cover, subject to some natural gluing conditions. In particular, one gets an obstruction sheaf of the semi-perfect obstruction theory on \(X\), denoted by \(\text{Ob}_\phi\). Yet again, there is a cycle group \(Z_*\text{Ob}_\phi\) of this sheaf and a natural cycle living in it. Using a Gysin map \(Z_*\text{Ob}_\phi\rightarrow A_*X\), one in fact gets a virtual cycle of \(X\), an element in \(A_*X\). This virtual cycle is then proven to be deformation invariant. In the following section the authors construct a semi-perfect obstruction theory of the moduli of objects in the derived category of a projective Calabi-Yau threefold. If the moduli space has an open proper Deligne-Mumford substack, one can define a Donaldson-Thomas invariant of this moduli space and the above results ensure that this number is deformation invariant.