Proof of the Localization Formula for a Circle Action

Abstract

This chapter provides a proof of the localization formula for a circle action. It evaluates the integral of an equivariantly closed form for a circle action by blowing up the fixed points. On the spherical blow-up, the induced action has no fixed points and is therefore locally free. The spherical blow-up is a manifold with a union of disjoint spheres as its boundary. For a locally free action, one can express an equivariantly closed form as an exact form. Since the localized equivariant cohomology of a locally free action is zero, after localization an equivariantly closed form must be equivariantly exact. Stokes's theorem then reduces the integral to a computation over spheres.