Involutions of varieties and Rost's degree formula

Abstract

To an algebraic variety equipped with an involution, we associate a cycle class in the modulo two Chow group of its fixed locus. This association is functorial with respect to proper morphisms having a degree and preserving the involutions. Specialising to the exchange involution of the square of a complete variety, we obtain Rost's degree formula in arbitrary characteristic (this formula was proved by Rost/Merkurjev in characteristic not two).