Equivariant cohomology and the Maurer-Cartan equation (Q812553)

Let \(G\) be a compact connected Lie group acting smoothly on a manifold \(M\). The standard Cartan model for the equivariant de Rham cohomology is a complex \((S\mathcal{G}^{*} \otimes \Omega(M))_{inv}\) where \(\mathcal{G}\) is a Lie algebra. In 1998, Goretsky, Kottwitz and MacPherson described a ``small model'' based on the complex \((S\mathcal{G}^*)_{\text{inv}} \otimes \Omega(M)_{\text{inv}}\). This paper constructs an explicit cochain map from this latter complex into the larger one that induces an isomorphism in cohomology. This is done by constructing a nilpotent even element \(f \in ((S\mathcal{G})^{*} \otimes \wedge \mathcal{G})_{inv}\) from which the cochain can be derived by adding a suitable twist. For this to work, \(f\) must satisfy a Maurer-Cartan equation. The heart of the paper shows that this equation has a solution. The solution is given by an explicit recursion formula.