Calculation of Thom polynomials for group actions

Abstract

In this paper we propose a systematic study of Thom polynomials for group actions defined by M. Kazarian. On one hand we show that Thom polynomials are first obstructions for the existence of a section and are connected to several problems of topology, global geometry and enumerative algebraic geometry. On the other hand we describe a way to calculate Thom polynomials: the method of restriction equations. It turned out that though the idea is quite simple the method is very powerful. We reproduced and improved earlier result in several directions (singularities, Schubert calculus, quivers). However a proper introduction to the basic theorems was missing. In this paper we try to pay this debt as well as we present the connections with obstruction theory and equivariant cohomology. We give some new results and outline possible generalizations and problems.