Virtual pullbacks in Donaldson-Thomas theory of Calabi-Yau 4-folds

Abstract: Recently, Oh and Thomas constructed algebraic virtual cycles for moduli spaces of sheaves on Calabi-Yau 4-folds. The purpose of this paper is to provide a virtual pullback formula between these Oh-Thomas virtual cycles. We find a natural compatibility condition between 3-term symmetric obstruction theories that induces a virtual pullback formula. There are two types of applications. Firstly, we introduce a Lefschetz principle in Donaldson-Thomas theory, which relates the tautological DT4 invariants of a Calabi-Yau 4-fold with the DT3 invariants of its divisor. As corollaries, we prove the Cao-Kool conjecture on the tautological Hilbert scheme invariants for very ample line bundles and the Cao-Kool-Monavari conjecture on the tautological DT/PT correspondence for line bundles with Calabi-Yau divisors when the tautological complexes are vector bundles. Secondly, we present a correspondence between the Oh-Thomas virtual cycles on the moduli spaces of pairs and the moduli spaces of sheaves by combining the virtual pullback formula and a pushforward formula for virtual projective bundles. As corollaries, we prove the Cao-Maulik-Toda conjecture on the primary PT/GV correspondence for irreducible curve classes and the Cao-Toda conjecture on the primary JS/GV correspondence under the coprime condition, assuming the Cao-Maulik-Toda conjecture on the primary Katz/GV correspondence. Moreover, we also prove tautological versions of these two correspondences.