An algebraic formulation of symplectic field theory (Q937359)

In the algebraic version of relative Gromov-Witten theory, one considers a pair \((Z,D)\), where \(Z\) is a projective manifold and \(D\) is a smooth divisor in \(Z\). One looks at stable maps to \(Z\) with prescribed intersection points with multiplicity with the given divisor \(Z\). To obtain a proper moduli stack of such maps, one must allow both the target and the domain to degenerate. In particular the target degenerates to \({}_kZ = Z \cup_D P_1\cup _D P_2\cdots \cup_D P_k\), that is, \(Z\) union a number of copies of \(P = {\mathbb P}_D(N_{D/Z} \oplus 1_D)\), the projective completion of the normal bundle to \(D\) in \(Z\). \textit{J. Li} [J. Differ. Geom. 57, No. 3, 509--578 (2001; Zbl 1076.14540)] defined a moduli stack of relative maps \(\mathbb M(\mathbb Z,\Gamma)\) for \(\Gamma\), a topological type, and constructed a virtual fundamental cycle. This stack has an evaluation map \(Ev_{\mathbb M\mathbb Z}: \mathbb M(\mathbb Z,\Gamma) \to Z^m \times D^r\), where \(m\) and \(r\) are the number of interior and boundary marked points, respectively. The relative Gromov-Witten invariants are defined by evaluating pullbacks of cohomology classes by \(Ev\) against the virtual cycle. In this paper the author develops a formalism of Li's algebraic version of relative Gromov-Witten invariants (Li, ibid.) in the form of symplectic field theory of [\textit{Y. Eliashberg, A. Givental} and \textit{H. Hofer}, GAFA 2000. Visions in mathematics--Towards 2000. Proceedings of a meeting, Tel Aviv, Israel, August 25-September 3, 1999. Part II. Basel: Birkhäuser, 560--673 (2000; Zbl 0989.81114)]. Using this formalism, the author writes down various generating functions and derived their degeneration formulae in the form of differential equation. The author illustrates usefulness of the formalism by re-deriving various formulae that appeared in the previous literature of Gromov-Witten invariants, e.g., \textit{L. Caporaso, J. Harris}'s [Invent. Math. 131, No. 2, 345--392 (1998; Zbl 0934.14040)], \textit{Z. Ran}'s [Invent. Math. 97, No.3, 447--465 (1989; Zbl 0702.14040)] and \textit{R. Vakil}'s [J. Reine Angew. Math. 529, 101--153 (2000; Zbl 0970.14029)].