On the Mathai-Quillen Formalism of Topological Sigma Models

Abstract

We present a Mathai-Quillen interpretation of topological sigma models. The key to the construction is a natural connection in a suitable infinite dimensional vector bundle over the space of maps from a Riemann surface (the world sheet) to an almost complex manifold (the target). We show that the covariant derivative of the section defined by the differential operator that appears in the equation for pseudo-holomorphic curves is precisely the linearization of the operator itself. We also discuss the Mathai-Quillen formalism of gauged topological sigma models.