Equivariant enumerative geometry

Abstract: We formulate an equivariant conservation of number, which proves that a generalized Euler number of a complex equivariant vector bundle can be computed as a sum of local indices of an arbitrary section. This involves an expansion of the Pontryagin--Thom transfer in the equivariant setting. We leverage this result to commence a study of enumerative geometry in the presence of a group action. As an illustration of the power of this machinery, we prove that any smooth complex cubic surface defined by a symmetric polynomial has 27 lines whose orbit types under the $S_4$-action on $\mathbb{C}P^3$ are given by $[S_4/C_2]+[S_4/C_2'] + [S_4/D_8]$, where $C_2$ and $C_2'$ denote two non-conjugate cyclic subgroups of order two. As a consequence we demonstrate that a real symmetric cubic surface can only contain 3 or 27 real lines.