Pointed Admissible G-covers and G-equivariant Cohomological Field Theories

For any finite group G we define the moduli space of pointed admissible G-covers and the concept of a G-equivariant cohomological field theory (G-CohFT), which, when G is the trivial group, reduce to the moduli space of stable curves and a cohomological field theory (CohFT), respectively. We prove that taking the “quotient” by G reduces a G-CohFT to a CohFT. We also prove that a G-CohFT contains a G-Frobenius algebra, a G-equivariant generalization of a Frobenius algebra, and that the “quotient” by G agrees with the obvious Frobenius algebra structure on the space of G-invariants, after rescaling the metric. We then introduce the moduli space of G-stable maps into a smooth, projective variety X with G action. Gromov-Witten-like invariants of these spaces provide the primary source of examples of G-CohFTs. Finally, we explain how these constructions generalize (and unify) the ChenRuan orbifold Gromov-Witten invariants of [X/G] as well as the ring H(X, G) of Fantechi and Göttsche.