Equivariant E-theory for C*-algebras

Let A and B be C*-algebras which are equipped with continuous actions of a second countable, locally compact group G. We define a notion of equivariant asymptotic morphism, and use it to define equivariant E-theory groups E_G(A, B) which generalize the E-theory groups of Connes and Higson. We develop the basic properties of equivariant E-theory, including a composition product and six-term exact sequences in both variables, and apply our theory to the problem of calculating K-theory for group C*-algebras. Our main theorem gives a simple criterion for the assembly map of Baum and Connes to be an isomorphism. The result plays an important role in recent work of Higson and Kasparov on the Baum-Connes conjecture for groups which act isometrically and metrically properly on Hilbert space.