A map of spaces implementing the Pontryagin Thom collapse map? (collapse maps in families)
The right framework of definitions is as follows.
- You have a space $E=\text{Emb}(M,\mathbb{R}^n)$ of smooth embeddings, topologised in a way that respects all derivatives. In more detail, we give $C^\infty(M)$ the smallest topology such that the inclusion in $C(M)$ is continuous, as is the map $C^\infty(M)\to C^\infty(M)$ given by any smooth vector field. We then topologise $E$ as a subspace of $C^\infty(M)^n$. One needs to check that for sufficiently small open sets $U\subseteq E$, there is a continuous choice of diffeomorphisms $r_{e,e'}\colon\mathbb{R}^n\to\mathbb{R}^n$ for $(e,e')\in U^2$ such that $r_{e,e'}\circ e'=e$.
- Over $E\times M$ there is a vector bundle $\mu$, whose fibre at $(e,m)$ is $\mathbb{R}^n\ominus e_*(T_mM)$. Thus, $\mu|_{\{e\}\times M}$ can be identified with the normal bundle $\nu_e$. One needs to check that for sufficiently small open sets $U\subseteq E$, the restriction $\mu|_{U\times M}$ is isomorphic to a bundle pulled back from $M$, so $\nu_e$ is essentially independent of $e$ for $e\in U$.
- There is also a space $F$ of thickened embeddings. A point of $F$ is a pair $(e,f)$ where $e\in E$, and $f$ is an embedding of the total space of $\nu_e$ in $\mathbb{R}^n$, with $f(m,u)\simeq e(m)+u$ to first order in $\|u\|$. There is an evident way to topologise $F$ so that it has the same kind of $E$-local triviality as $\mu$.
- One then needs to check that the projection $q\colon F\to E$ is a weak equivalence (or even a homotopy equivalence). This can be done by elaborating the standard proof of uniqueness of tubular neighbourhoods, combined with some paracompactness technology if you want an actual homotopy equivalence.
- There is an evident fibrewise Pontrjagin-Thom construction $p\colon F_+\wedge S^n\to (F\times M)^{q^*\mu}$, and a projection $q'\colon (F\times M)^{q^*\mu}\to (E\times M)^\mu$. If we regard the homotopy category as a category of fractions in which weak equivalences are inverted, then we now have a morphism $p'=q'\circ p\circ(q\wedge 1)^{-1}\colon E_+\wedge S^n\to (E\times M)^\mu$. This is the most natural incarnation of the Pontrjagin-Thom construction.
The situation is somewhat easier to describe if one replaces the embeddings of the closed codimension $(m-n)$manifold $M$ with the embeddings of the total space of a disk bundle of a rank $(m-n)$-vector bundle over $M$.
If $\xi$ is a smooth vector bundle over $M$ of rank $(m-n)$, with disk bundle $D(\xi)$, then there is a restriction map of embedding spaces $$ E(D(\xi),\Bbb R^m) \to E(M,\Bbb R^m)\, , $$ There is an evident Pontryagin-Thom map $$ E(D(\xi),\Bbb R^m) \to \Omega^mM^\xi $$ where the target it the $m$-fold loop space of the Thom space of $\xi$. The map is given by sending an embedding to the map $S^m \to M^\xi$ given by collapsing the complement of the image of the embedding to a point.
The above restriction map sits in a homotopy fiber sequence, $$ E(D(\xi),\Bbb R^m) \to E(M,\Bbb R^m) \to \text{maps}(M,BO_{m-n}) $$ where the base space is the space of maps from $M$ to the Grasmannian of $(m-n)$-planes in $\Bbb R^\infty$. The displayed fiber is the one taken at the basepoint defined by $\xi$.
There is another homotopy fiber sequence $$ \Omega^m M^\xi \to D_m(M) \to \text{maps}(M,BO_{m-n}) $$ where $M^\xi$ is the Thom space of $\xi$ and $D_m(M)$ is the space consisting of pairs $(\xi,g)$ in which $\xi$ is as above and $g: S^m \to M^\xi$ is a based map.
The first fiber sequence maps to the second one, after thickening up $E(M,\Bbb R^m)$ in the way that Neil describes.