A fixed point index for equivariant maps (Q1974098)

Let \(X\) be an ENR, let \(U\) be an open subset of \(X\) and let \(f:U \to X\) be a map with a compact fixed point set \((f\) is called compactly fixed). An index \({\mathcal I}(f)\) is defined in terms of the Dold index [\textit{A. Dold}, Topology 4, 1-8 (1965; Zbl 0135.23101)] and Nielsen fixed-point concepts. The index \({\mathcal I}(f)\) is closely related to the local Reidemeister trace [\textit{J. S. Fares} and \textit{E. L. Hart}, Topology Appl. 59, No. 1, 1-23 (1994; Zbl 0807.55003)]. Let \(G\) be a compact Lie group, let \(X\) be a \(G\)-ENR and let \(f:U \to X\) be a \(G\)-map defined on an open subset of \(X\). An equivariant index \({\mathcal I}_G(f)\) is defined, based on the index \({\mathcal I}\), and it is shown to possess properties such as \((G\)-)homotopy invariance and additivity, corresponding in the equivariant setting to properties of the Dold index. Moreover, if \(X\) is a smooth \(G\)-manifold such that, for each isotropy subgroup \(H\) of \(G\), each component of \(U_H\) has dimension different from two, then \(f\) can be deformed through a compactly fixed \(G\)-homotopy to a fixed point free map if and only if \({\mathcal I}_G(f)=0\). Examples in the paper demonstrate that it can happen that \({\mathcal I}_G (f)\neq 0\), and therefore \(f\) cannot be deformed in this way, even though the restriction of \(f\) to \(U^H\) can be deformed to a fixed-point-free map, for each isotropy subgroup \(H\), and therefore the equivariant Nielsen number \(N_G(f)\) is zero [\textit{P. Wong}, Pac. J. Math. 159, No. 1, 153-175 (1993; Zbl 0739.55001)].