Equivariant Cohomology and Resolution

The ‘Folk Theorem’ that a smooth action by a compact Lie group can be (canonically) resolved, by iterated blow up, to have unique isotropy type is proved in the context of manifolds with corners. This procedure is shown to capture the simultaneous resolution of all isotropy types in a ‘resolution tower’ which projects to a resolution, with iterated boundary fibration, of the quotient. Equivariant K-theory and the Cartan model for equivariant cohomology are tracked under the resolution procedure as is the delocalized equivariant cohomology of Baum, Brylinski and MacPherson. This leads to resolved models for each of these cohomology theories, in terms of relative objects over the resolution tower and hence to reduced models as flat-twisted relative objects over the resolution of the quotient. As a result an explicit equivariant Chern character is constructed, essentially as in the non-equivariant case, over the resolution of the quotient.