A new approach to the operator formalism for Gromov-Witten invariants of the cap and tube

Abstract

Based on Johnson's operator formula for the equivariant Gromov-Witten theory of $\mathbb{P}^1$-orbifolds, we give a new approach to the operator formalism by Okounkov and Pandharipande regarding the $\mathbb{C}^*$-equivariant Gromov-Witten theory of $\mathbb{P}^1$ relative to one or two points. We also extend their operator formalism in the non-equivariant specialization to the case where we allow negative contact orders.