This rather important paper indicates a precise concrete way to perform computations in the quantum equivariant “deformation” of the cohomology ring of \(G(k,n)\), the complex Grassmannian variety parametrizing \(k\)-dimensional vector subspaces of \({\mathbb C}^n\). It relies on the results of another important paper, regarding the same subject, by the same author [Adv. Math. 203, 1–33 (2006; Zbl 1100.14045)]. The usual singular cohomology ring of \(G(k,n)\) is a very well known object, studied since Schubert’s time, at the end of the XIX Century. First of all, it is a finite free \({\mathbb Z}\)-module generated by the so-called Schubert cycles. Furthermore, the special Schubert cycles, the Chern classes of the universal quotient bundle over \(G(k,n)\), generates it as a \({\mathbb Z}\)-algebra. Multiplying two Schubert cycles then amounts to know how to multiply a special Schubert cycle with a general one (Pieri’s formula) and a way to express any Schubert cycle as an explicit polynomial expression in the special Schubert cycles (Giambelli’s formula).
The obvious way to deform the cohomology of a Grassmannian is to consider the cohomology of the total space of a Grassmann bundle, parametrizing \(k\)-planes in the fibers of a rank \(n\) vector bundle, which is a deformation of the cohomology of any fiber of it. In the last few decades, however, other ways to deform the cohomology ring of \(G(k,n)\) have been studied. E. Witten [in: Geometry, topology and physics for Raoul Bott. Lectures of a conference in honor of Raoul Bott’s 70th birthday, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA 1993. Cambridge, MA: International Press. Conf. Proc. Lect. Notes Geom. Topol. 4, 357–422 (1995; Zbl 0863.53054)], introduced the small quantum deformation of the cohomology ring of the Grassmannian, whose structure constants were first determined by A. Bertram [Adv. Math. 128, No. 2, 289–305 (1997; Zbl 0945.14031)]. Finally, A. Knutson and T. Tao [Duke Math. J. 119, No. 2, 221–260 (2003; Zbl 1064.14063)], studied the equivariant deformation of the cohomology of the Grassmannians via the combinatorics of puzzles.
In the beautiful paper under review the author recovers the quantum and equivariant Schubert calculus within a unified framework. Basing on the algebraic properties of the Schur factorial functions, the author realizes the equivariant quantum cohomology ring in terms of generators and relations and gives an explicit basis of polynomial representatives for the equivariant quantum Schubert classes. An alternative approach is offered by D. Laksov [Adv. Math. 217, 1869–1888 (2008; Zbl 1136.14042)], where the author proves that the basic results of equivariant Schubert calculus, the basis theorem, Pieri’s formula and Giambelli’s formula can be obtained from the corresponding results of a more general and elementary framework, as in [D. Laksov, Indiana Univ. Math. J., 56, No. 2, 825–845 (2007; Zbl 1136.14042)], by a change of basis.
The paper is organized as follows. Section 1 is the introduction, where the main results are clearly stated and motivated; Section 2 is a useful and very pleasant review of the algebra of factorial Schur functions. The quantum equivariant cohomology of Grassmannians is treated in Section 3, while the proof of the theorem about the presentation of the quantum equivariant cohomology ring is given in Section 4. Section 5 ends the paper with the discussion and the proof of Giambelli’s formula in equivariant quantum cohomology.