Lectures on Symplectic Geometry

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Lectures on Symplectic Geometry Lectures on Symplectic Geometry Fraydoun Rezakhanlou Departmet of Mathematics, UC Berkeley September 18, 2018 Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Quadratic Hamiltonians and Linear Symplectic Geometry Chapter 3: Symplectic Manifolds and Darboux's Theorem Chapter 4: Contact Manifolds and Weinstein Conjecture Chapter 5: Variational Principle and Convex Hamiltonian Chapter 6: Capacites and Their Applications Chapter 7: Hofer-Zehnder Capacity Chapter 8: Hofer Geometry Chapter 9: Generating Function, Twist Map and Arnold's Conjecture Chapter 10: Holomorphic Curves and Gromov's Width Appendix: A: Vector Fields and Differential Forms B: A Sobolev Inequality C: Degree Theory D: Cauchy and Beurling Transforms E: Lusternik-Schnirelmann Theory F: Morse Theory 1 1 Introduction Hamiltonian systems appear in conservative problems of mechanics as in celestial mechanics but also in statistical mechanics governing the motion of particles and molecules in fluid. A mechanical system of N planets (particles) is modeled by a Hamiltonian function H(x) d d where x = (q; p), q = (q1; : : : ; qN ), p = (p1; : : : ; pN ) with (qi; pi) 2 R × R being the position and the momentum of the i-th particle. The Hamiltonian's equations of motion are (1.1)q _ = Hp(q; p); p_ = −Hq(q; p); which is of the form ¯ ¯ 0 In (1.2)x _ = JrxH(x); J = ; −In 0 where n = dN and In denotes the n × n identity matrix. The equation (1.2) is an ODE that possesses a unique solution for every initial data x0 provided that we make some standard assumptions on H. If we denote such a solution by φt(x0) = φ(t; x0), then φ enjoys the group property φt ◦ φs = φt+s; t; s 2 R: The ODE (1.1) is a system of 2n = 2dN unknowns. Such a typically large system can not be solved explicitly. A reduction of such a system is desirable and this can be achieved if we can find some conservation laws associated with our system. To find such conservation laws systematically, let us look at a general ODE of the form dx (1.3) = b(x); dt with the corresponding flow denoted by φt, and study u(x; t) = Ttf(x) = f(φt(x)). A celebrated theorem of Liouville asserts that the function u satisfies @u (1.4) = Lu = b · u : @t x d Recall that a function f(x) is conserved if dt f(φt(x)) = 0. From (1:4) we learn that a function f is conserved if and only if (1.5) b · fx = 0: In the case of a Hamiltonian system, b = (Hp; −Hq) and the equation (1.5) becomes (1.6) ff; Hg := fq · Hp − fp · Hq = 0: 2 As an obvious choice, we may take f = H in (1.6). In general, we may have other conservation laws that are not so obvious to be found. Nother's principle tells us how to find a conservation law using a symmetry of the ODE (1.3). With the aid of the symmetries, we may reduce our system to a simpler one that happens to be another Hamiltonian-type system. Liouville discovered that for a Hamiltonian system of Nd-degrees of freedom (2Nd un- knowns) we only need Nd conserved functions in order to solve the system completely by means of quadratures. Such a system is called completely integrable and unfortunately hard to come by. Recently there has been a revival of the theory of completely integrable sys- tems because of several infinite dimensional examples (Korteweg{deVries equation, nonlinear Schr¨odingerequation, etc.). As we mentioned before, the conservation laws can be used to simplify a Hamiltonian system by reducing its size. To get more information about the solution trajectories, we may search for other conserved quantities. For example, imagine that we have a flow φt associated with (1:3) and we may wonder how the volume of φt(A) changes with time for a given measurable set A. For this, imagine that there exists a density function ρ(x; t) such that Z Z 0 (1.7) g(φt(x))ρ (x)dx = g(x)ρ(x; t)dx; for every bounded continuous function g. This is equivalent to saying that for every nice set A, Z Z (1.8) ρ(x; 0)dx = ρ(x; t)dx; φ−t(A) A 0 0 where ρ (x) = ρ(x; 0). In words, the ρ -weighted volume of φ−t(A) is given by the ρ(·; t)- weighted volume of A. Using (1.5), it is not hard to see that in fact ρ satisfies the (dual) Liouville's equation @ρ (1.9) + div(ρb) = 0: @t 0 As a result, the measure ρ (x)dx is invariant for the flow φt if and only if div(ρ0b) = 0: In particular, if div b = 0, then the Lebesgue measure is invariant. In the case of a Hamil- tonian system b = JrH, we do have div b = 0, and as a consequence, (1.10) vol(φt(A)) = vol(A); for every measurable set A. 3 In our search for other invariance properties, let us now look for vector fields F : Rn ! Rn such that d Z (1.11) F · dx ≡ 0; dt φt(γ) for every closed curve γ. Such an invariance property is of interest in (for example) fluid R mechanics because γ F · dx measures the circulation of the velocity field F around γ. To calculate the left-hand side of (1:11), observe Z Z F · dx = F (φt(x))Dφt(x) · dx φt(γ) γ where Dφt denotes the derivative of φt in x and we regard F as a row vector. Set F = 1 k 1 k 1 k (F ;:::;F ), φ = (φ ; : : : ; φ ), u = (u ; : : : ; u ), u(x; t) = TtF (x) = F ◦ φt(x)Dφt(x), so that X @φi uj(x; t) = F i(φ (x)) t (x): t @x i j To calculate the time derivative, we write u(x; t + h) = F (φt+h)Dφt+h = F (φt ◦ φh) Dφt ◦ φhD φh = u(φh(x); t)Dφh(x); so that i d j X i i @b u (x; t + h) = (ru · b)δij + u dh @x h=0 i j X @bi = ruj · b + ui @x i j X = (u · b) + (uj − ui )bi: xj xi xj i In summary, @u (1.12) = r(u · b) + C(u)b; @t where C(u) is the matrix [ui − uj ]. In particular, xj xi d Z Z (1.13) F · dx = C(u)b · dx; dt φt(γ) γ 4 for every closed curve γ. Recall that we would like to find vector fields F for which (1.11) is valid. For this it suffices to have C(F )b a gradient. Indeed if C(F )b is a gradient, then d Z d Z F · dx = F · dx dt φ (γ) dh φ (γ) t t+h h=0 Z d = F · dx dh φh(φt(γ)) h=0 Z = C(F )b · dx = 0: φt(γ) Let us examine this for some examples. Example 1.1. (i) Assume that k = 2n with x = (q; p) = (q1; : : : ; qn; p1; : : : ; pn). Let ∗ b(q; p) = (Hp; −Hq) = JrH for a Hamiltonian H(q; p). Choose F (q; p) = (p; 0). We then 0 I have C(F ) = n = J, and C(F )b = JJrH = −∇H. This and (1:13) imply that for −In 0 a Hamiltonian flow φt and closed γ, d Z (1:14) p · dq = 0; dt φt(γ) which was discovered by Poincar´eoriginally. ∗ (ii) Assume k = 2n + 1 with x = (q; p; t) and b(q; p; t) = (Hp; −Hq; 1) where H is now a time-dependent Hamiltonian function. Define F (q; p; t) = (p; 0; −H(q; p; t)): We then have 2 0 I H∗ 3 n q J (rH)∗ (1:15) C(F ) = −I 0 H∗ = : 4 n p 5 −∇H 0 −Hq −Hp 0 Since C(F )b = 0, we deduce that for any closed (q; p; t)-curve γ, d Z (1.14) (p · dq − H(q; p; t)dt) = 0; ds φs(γ) proving a result of Poincar´e and Cartan. Note that if γ has no t-component in (1:16), then (1:16) becomes (1:14). 5 2 3 0 −α3 α2 (iii) Assume n = 3. Then C(F ) = 4 α3 0 −α15 with (α1; α2; α3) = r × F . Now if −α2 α1 0 b = r × F , then C(F )b = (r × F ) × b and d R F · dx = 0. In words, the F -circulation dt φt(γ) of a curve moving with velocity field r × F is preserved with time. Example 1.2. A Hamiltonian system (1:2) simplifies if we can find a function w(q; t) such that p(t) = w(q(t); t). If such a function w exists, then q(t) solves dq (1:17) = H (q; w(q; t); t): dt p The equationp _ gives us the necessary condition for the function w: p_ = wqq_ + wt = wq · Hp(q; w; t) + wt; p_ = −Hq(q; w; t): Hence w(q; t) must solve, (1:18) wt + wq · Hp(q; w; t) + Hq(q; w; t) = 0: 1 2 For example, if H(q; p; t) = 2 jpj + V (q; t), then (1:18) becomes (1:19) wt + wqw + Vq(q; t) = 0: The equation (1:17) simplifies to dq (1:20) = w(q; t) dt in this case. If the flow of (1:20) is denoted by t, then φt(q; w(q; 0)) = ( t(q); w( t(q); t)). Now (1:14) means that for any closed q-curve η, d Z w(q; t) · dq = 0: dt t(η) This is the celebrated Kelvin's circulation theorem.
Recommended publications
  • Gromov Receives 2009 Abel Prize
    Gromov Receives 2009 Abel Prize . The Norwegian Academy of Science Medal (1997), and the Wolf Prize (1993). He is a and Letters has decided to award the foreign member of the U.S. National Academy of Abel Prize for 2009 to the Russian- Sciences and of the American Academy of Arts French mathematician Mikhail L. and Sciences, and a member of the Académie des Gromov for “his revolutionary con- Sciences of France. tributions to geometry”. The Abel Prize recognizes contributions of Citation http://www.abelprisen.no/en/ extraordinary depth and influence Geometry is one of the oldest fields of mathemat- to the mathematical sciences and ics; it has engaged the attention of great mathema- has been awarded annually since ticians through the centuries but has undergone Photo from from Photo 2003. It carries a cash award of revolutionary change during the last fifty years. Mikhail L. Gromov 6,000,000 Norwegian kroner (ap- Mikhail Gromov has led some of the most impor- proximately US$950,000). Gromov tant developments, producing profoundly original will receive the Abel Prize from His Majesty King general ideas, which have resulted in new perspec- Harald at an award ceremony in Oslo, Norway, on tives on geometry and other areas of mathematics. May 19, 2009. Riemannian geometry developed from the study Biographical Sketch of curved surfaces and their higher-dimensional analogues and has found applications, for in- Mikhail Leonidovich Gromov was born on Decem- stance, in the theory of general relativity. Gromov ber 23, 1943, in Boksitogorsk, USSR. He obtained played a decisive role in the creation of modern his master’s degree (1965) and his doctorate (1969) global Riemannian geometry.
    [Show full text]
  • “Generalized Complex and Holomorphic Poisson Geometry”
    “Generalized complex and holomorphic Poisson geometry” Marco Gualtieri (University of Toronto), Ruxandra Moraru (University of Waterloo), Nigel Hitchin (Oxford University), Jacques Hurtubise (McGill University), Henrique Bursztyn (IMPA), Gil Cavalcanti (Utrecht University) Sunday, 11-04-2010 to Friday, 16-04-2010 1 Overview of the Field Generalized complex geometry is a relatively new subject in differential geometry, originating in 2001 with the work of Hitchin on geometries defined by differential forms of mixed degree. It has the particularly inter- esting feature that it interpolates between two very classical areas in geometry: complex algebraic geometry on the one hand, and symplectic geometry on the other hand. As such, it has bearing on some of the most intriguing geometrical problems of the last few decades, namely the suggestion by physicists that a duality of quantum field theories leads to a ”mirror symmetry” between complex and symplectic geometry. Examples of generalized complex manifolds include complex and symplectic manifolds; these are at op- posite extremes of the spectrum of possibilities. Because of this fact, there are many connections between the subject and existing work on complex and symplectic geometry. More intriguing is the fact that complex and symplectic methods often apply, with subtle modifications, to the study of the intermediate cases. Un- like symplectic or complex geometry, the local behaviour of a generalized complex manifold is not uniform. Indeed, its local structure is characterized by a Poisson bracket, whose rank at any given point characterizes the local geometry. For this reason, the study of Poisson structures is central to the understanding of gen- eralized complex manifolds which are neither complex nor symplectic.
    [Show full text]
  • Hamiltonian and Symplectic Symmetries: an Introduction
    BULLETIN (New Series) OF THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY Volume 54, Number 3, July 2017, Pages 383–436 http://dx.doi.org/10.1090/bull/1572 Article electronically published on March 6, 2017 HAMILTONIAN AND SYMPLECTIC SYMMETRIES: AN INTRODUCTION ALVARO´ PELAYO In memory of Professor J.J. Duistermaat (1942–2010) Abstract. Classical mechanical systems are modeled by a symplectic mani- fold (M,ω), and their symmetries are encoded in the action of a Lie group G on M by diffeomorphisms which preserve ω. These actions, which are called sym- plectic, have been studied in the past forty years, following the works of Atiyah, Delzant, Duistermaat, Guillemin, Heckman, Kostant, Souriau, and Sternberg in the 1970s and 1980s on symplectic actions of compact Abelian Lie groups that are, in addition, of Hamiltonian type, i.e., they also satisfy Hamilton’s equations. Since then a number of connections with combinatorics, finite- dimensional integrable Hamiltonian systems, more general symplectic actions, and topology have flourished. In this paper we review classical and recent re- sults on Hamiltonian and non-Hamiltonian symplectic group actions roughly starting from the results of these authors. This paper also serves as a quick introduction to the basics of symplectic geometry. 1. Introduction Symplectic geometry is concerned with the study of a notion of signed area, rather than length, distance, or volume. It can be, as we will see, less intuitive than Euclidean or metric geometry and it is taking mathematicians many years to understand its intricacies (which is work in progress). The word “symplectic” goes back to the 1946 book [164] by Hermann Weyl (1885–1955) on classical groups.
    [Show full text]
  • Symplectic Geometry
    Part III | Symplectic Geometry Based on lectures by A. R. Pires Notes taken by Dexter Chua Lent 2018 These notes are not endorsed by the lecturers, and I have modified them (often significantly) after lectures. They are nowhere near accurate representations of what was actually lectured, and in particular, all errors are almost surely mine. The first part of the course will be an overview of the basic structures of symplectic ge- ometry, including symplectic linear algebra, symplectic manifolds, symplectomorphisms, Darboux theorem, cotangent bundles, Lagrangian submanifolds, and Hamiltonian sys- tems. The course will then go further into two topics. The first one is moment maps and toric symplectic manifolds, and the second one is capacities and symplectic embedding problems. Pre-requisites Some familiarity with basic notions from Differential Geometry and Algebraic Topology will be assumed. The material covered in the respective Michaelmas Term courses would be more than enough background. 1 Contents III Symplectic Geometry Contents 1 Symplectic manifolds 3 1.1 Symplectic linear algebra . .3 1.2 Symplectic manifolds . .4 1.3 Symplectomorphisms and Lagrangians . .8 1.4 Periodic points of symplectomorphisms . 11 1.5 Lagrangian submanifolds and fixed points . 13 2 Complex structures 16 2.1 Almost complex structures . 16 2.2 Dolbeault theory . 18 2.3 K¨ahlermanifolds . 21 2.4 Hodge theory . 24 3 Hamiltonian vector fields 30 3.1 Hamiltonian vector fields . 30 3.2 Integrable systems . 32 3.3 Classical mechanics . 34 3.4 Hamiltonian actions . 36 3.5 Symplectic reduction . 39 3.6 The convexity theorem . 45 3.7 Toric manifolds . 51 4 Symplectic embeddings 56 Index 57 2 1 Symplectic manifolds III Symplectic Geometry 1 Symplectic manifolds 1.1 Symplectic linear algebra In symplectic geometry, we study symplectic manifolds.
    [Show full text]
  • Symplectic Geometry Tara S
    THE GRADUATE STUDENT SECTION WHAT IS... Symplectic Geometry Tara S. Holm Communicated by Cesar E. Silva In Euclidean geome- depending smoothly on the point 푝 ∈ 푀.A 2-form try in a vector space 휔 ∈ Ω2(푀) is symplectic if it is both closed (its exterior Symplectic over ℝ, lengths and derivative satisfies 푑휔 = 0) and nondegenerate (each structures are angles are the funda- function 휔푝 is nondegenerate). Nondegeneracy is equiva- mental measurements, lent to the statement that for each nonzero tangent vector floppier than and objects are rigid. 푣 ∈ 푇푝푀, there is a symplectic buddy: a vector 푤 ∈ 푇푝푀 In symplectic geome- so that 휔푝(푣, 푤) = 1.A symplectic manifold is a (real) holomorphic try, a two-dimensional manifold 푀 equipped with a symplectic form 휔. area measurement is Nondegeneracy has important consequences. Purely in functions or the key ingredient, and terms of linear algebra, at any point 푝 ∈ 푀 we may choose the complex numbers a basis of 푇푝푀 that is compatible with 휔푝, using a skew- metrics. are the natural scalars. symmetric analogue of the Gram-Schmidt procedure. We It turns out that sym- start by choosing any nonzero vector 푣1 and then finding a plectic structures are much floppier than holomorphic symplectic buddy 푤1. These must be linearly independent functions in complex geometry or metrics in Riemannian by skew-symmetry. We then peel off the two-dimensional geometry. subspace that 푣1 and 푤1 span and continue recursively, The word “symplectic” is a calque introduced by eventually arriving at a basis Hermann Weyl in his textbook on the classical groups.
    [Show full text]
  • SYMPLECTIC GEOMETRY Lecture Notes, University of Toronto
    SYMPLECTIC GEOMETRY Eckhard Meinrenken Lecture Notes, University of Toronto These are lecture notes for two courses, taught at the University of Toronto in Spring 1998 and in Fall 2000. Our main sources have been the books “Symplectic Techniques” by Guillemin-Sternberg and “Introduction to Symplectic Topology” by McDuff-Salamon, and the paper “Stratified symplectic spaces and reduction”, Ann. of Math. 134 (1991) by Sjamaar-Lerman. Contents Chapter 1. Linear symplectic algebra 5 1. Symplectic vector spaces 5 2. Subspaces of a symplectic vector space 6 3. Symplectic bases 7 4. Compatible complex structures 7 5. The group Sp(E) of linear symplectomorphisms 9 6. Polar decomposition of symplectomorphisms 11 7. Maslov indices and the Lagrangian Grassmannian 12 8. The index of a Lagrangian triple 14 9. Linear Reduction 18 Chapter 2. Review of Differential Geometry 21 1. Vector fields 21 2. Differential forms 23 Chapter 3. Foundations of symplectic geometry 27 1. Definition of symplectic manifolds 27 2. Examples 27 3. Basic properties of symplectic manifolds 34 Chapter 4. Normal Form Theorems 43 1. Moser’s trick 43 2. Homotopy operators 44 3. Darboux-Weinstein theorems 45 Chapter 5. Lagrangian fibrations and action-angle variables 49 1. Lagrangian fibrations 49 2. Action-angle coordinates 53 3. Integrable systems 55 4. The spherical pendulum 56 Chapter 6. Symplectic group actions and moment maps 59 1. Background on Lie groups 59 2. Generating vector fields for group actions 60 3. Hamiltonian group actions 61 4. Examples of Hamiltonian G-spaces 63 3 4 CONTENTS 5. Symplectic Reduction 72 6. Normal forms and the Duistermaat-Heckman theorem 78 7.
    [Show full text]
  • Some Aspects of the Geodesic Flow
    Some aspects of the Geodesic flow Pablo C. Abstract This is a presentation for Yael’s course on Symplectic Geometry. We discuss here the context in which the geodesic flow can be understood using techniques from Symplectic Geometry. 1 Introduction We begin defining our object of study. Definition 1.1. Given a closed manifold M with Riemannian metric g, the co- geodesic flow is defined as the Hamiltonian flow φt on the cotangent bundle (T ∗M,Θ)(Θ will always denote the canonical form on T ∗M) where the cor- 1 responding lagrangian is L = 2 g Suppose that the Legendre transform is given by (x; v) 7! (x; p). Then we know • H = hp; vi − L(x; v) • p is given as the fiber derivative of L. Namely, consider f(v) = L(x; v) for x fixed and then p(x,v) is given by p = Dvf 1 In our very particular case, we can easily calculate the transform using Eüler’s lemma for homogeneous functions (L is just a quadratic form here); ge wet hp; vi = hDvf ; vi = 2f(v) = 2L = g(v; v) This implies • the Legendre transform identifies the fibers of TM and T ∗M using the metric (v 7! g(v; ·)). • H = 2L − L = L. This shows that the co-geodesic flow induces a flow (which we will continue denoting φt) on TM such that φt = (γ; γ_ ) and γ satisfies the variational equation for the action defined by L = H. 1 d @L We have that dt @v = 0, so the norm of γ_ is constant.
    [Show full text]
  • Symplectic Geometry
    SYMPLECTIC GEOMETRY Gert Heckman Radboud University Nijmegen [email protected] Dedicated to the memory of my teacher Hans Duistermaat (1942-2010) 1 Contents Preface 3 1 Symplectic Linear Algebra 5 1.1 Symplectic Vector Spaces . 5 1.2 HermitianForms ......................... 7 1.3 ExteriorAlgebra ......................... 8 1.4 TheWord“Symplectic” . 10 1.5 Exercises ............................. 11 2 Calculus on Manifolds 14 2.1 Vector Fields and Flows . 14 2.2 LieDerivatives .......................... 15 2.3 SingularHomology . .. .. .. .. .. .. 18 2.4 Integration over Singular Chains and Stokes Theorem . 20 2.5 DeRhamTheorem........................ 21 2.6 Integration on Oriented Manifolds and Poincar´eDuality . 22 2.7 MoserTheorem.......................... 25 2.8 Exercises ............................. 27 3 Symplectic Manifolds 29 3.1 RiemannianManifolds . 29 3.2 SymplecticManifolds. 29 3.3 FiberBundles........................... 32 3.4 CotangentBundles . .. .. .. .. .. .. 34 3.5 GeodesicFlow .......................... 37 3.6 K¨ahlerManifolds . 40 3.7 DarbouxTheorem ........................ 43 3.8 Exercises ............................. 46 4 Hamilton Formalism 49 4.1 PoissonBrackets ......................... 49 4.2 IntegrableSystems . 51 4.3 SphericalPendulum . .. .. .. .. .. .. 55 4.4 KeplerProblem.......................... 61 4.5 ThreeBodyProblem. .. .. .. .. .. .. 65 4.6 Exercises ............................. 66 2 5 Moment Map 69 5.1 LieGroups ............................ 69 5.2 MomentMap ........................... 74 5.3 SymplecticReduction . 80 5.4 Symplectic Reduction for Cotangent Bundles . 84 5.5 Geometric Invariant Theory . 89 5.6 Exercises ............................. 93 3 Preface These are lecture notes for a course on symplectic geometry in the Dutch Mastermath program. There are several books on symplectic geometry, but I still took the trouble of writing up lecture notes. The reason is that this one semester course was aiming for students at the beginning of their masters.
    [Show full text]
  • A Symplectic Fixed Point Theorem on Open Manifolds
    PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY Volume 84, Number 4, April 1982 A SYMPLECTIC FIXED POINT THEOREM ON OPEN MANIFOLDS MICHAEL COLVIN AND KENT MORRISON Abstract. In 1968 Bourgin proved that every measure-preserving, orientation- preserving homeomorphism of the open disk has a fixed point, and he asked whether such a result held in higher dimensions. Asimov, in 1976, constructed counterexam- ples in all higher dimensions. In this paper we answer a weakened form of Bourgin's question dealing with symplectic diffeomorphisms: every symplectic diffeomorphism of an even-dimensional cell sufficiently close to the identity in the C'-fine topology has a fixed point. This result follows from a more general result on open manifolds and symplectic diffeomorphisms. Introduction. Fixed point theorems for area-preserving mappings have a history which dates back to Poincaré's "last geometric theorem", i.e., any area-preserving mapping of an annulus which twists the boundary curves in opposite directions has at least two fixed points. More recently it has been proved that any area-preserving, orientation-preserving mapping of the two-dimensional sphere into itself possesses at least two distinct fixed points (see [N, Si]). In the setting of noncompact manifolds, Bourgin [B] showed that any measure-preserving, orientation-preserving homeomor- phism of the open two-cell B2 has a fixed point. For Bourgin's theorem one assumes that the measure is finite on B2 and that the measure of a nonempty open set is positive. Bourgin also gave a counterexample to the generalization of the theorem for the open ball in R135and asked the question whether his theorem remains valid for the open balls in low dimensions.
    [Show full text]
  • Lecture I: Overview and Motivation
    Lecture I: Overview and motivation Jonathan Evans 23rd September 2010 Jonathan Evans () Lecture I: Overview and motivation 23rd September 2010 1 / 31 Difficulty of exercises is denoted by card suits in increasing order } ~ ♠ |. Jonathan Evans () Lecture I: Overview and motivation 23rd September 2010 2 / 31 This course is about symplectic topology by which I mean global problems in symplectic geometry. In the same way that Riemannian geometry studies manifolds with a positive-definite quadratic form on their tangent bundle, symplectic geometry studies manifolds with a nondegenerate alternating 2-form on their tangent bundle. Example The 2-form !0 = dx1 ^ dy1 + ··· + dxn ^ dyn 2n is an alternating 2-form on the vector space R with coordinates v1 w1 (x1;:::; xn; y1;:::; yn). If we write V = , W = , v2 w2 0 id ! = then 0 −id 0 T !0(V ; W ) = V !0W Jonathan Evans () Lecture I: Overview and motivation 23rd September 2010 3 / 31 More precisely Definition A symplectic manifold is a pair (X ;!) where ! is a nondegenerate 2-form on X which is closed (d! = 0). To understand why we require d! = 0, we make an analogy with complex manifolds. Jonathan Evans () Lecture I: Overview and motivation 23rd September 2010 4 / 31 Complex manifolds Definition n 1 A complex manifold is a manifold with charts φi : Ui ! C and C -smooth n n transition maps φij : C ! C whose derivatives are complex linear dφij 2 GL(n; C). On each tangent space (say Tx where x 2 Uk ) we have an endomorphism −1 J = (dφk ) J0(dφk ): Tx ! Tx which is well-defined independently of the chart (since transition functions are C-linear).
    [Show full text]
  • Symplectic Geometry
    CHAPTER 3 Symplectic Geometry Ana Cannas da Silva 1 Departamento de Matem(ttica, Instituto Superior T~cnico, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal E-mail: acannas @math.ist.utl.pt; acannas @math.princeton.edu Contents Introduction ..................................................... 81 1. Symplectic manifolds .............................................. 82 1.1. Symplectic linear algebra ......................................... 82 1.2. Symplectic forms ............................................. 84 1.3. Cotangent bundles ............................................. 85 1.4. Moser's trick ................................................ 88 1.5. Darboux and Moser theorems ...................................... 90 1.6. Symplectic submanifolds ......................................... 91 2. Lagrangian submanifolds ............................................ 93 2.1. First Lagrangian submanifolds ...................................... 93 2.2. Lagrangian neighborhood theorem .................................... 95 2.3. Weinstein tubular neighborhood theorem ................................ 96 2.4. Application to symplectomorphisms ................................... 98 2.5. Generating functions ........................................... 99 2.6. Fixed points ................................................ 102 2.7. Lagrangians and special Lagrangians in C n ............................... 104 3. Complex structures ............................................... 108 3.1. Compatible linear structures ....................................... 108 3.2.
    [Show full text]
  • Mikhail Leonidovich Gromov Permanent Professor, Institut Des Hautes Études Scientifiques, France
    The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has decided to award the Abel Prize for 2009 to Mikhail Leonidovich Gromov Permanent Professor, Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, France, “for his revolutionary contributions to geometry.” Geometry is one of the oldest fields of mathematics; it has engaged the attention of great mathematicians through the centuries, but has undergone revolutionary change during the last 50 years. Mikhail Gromov has led some of the most important developments, producing profoundly original general ideas, which have resulted in new perspectives on geometry and other areas of mathematics. Riemannian geometry developed from the study of curved surfaces and their higher dimensional analogues and has found applications, for instance, in the theory of general relativity. Gromov played a decisive role in the creation of modern global Riemannian geometry. His solutions of important problems in global geometry relied on new general concepts, such as the convergence of Riemannian manifolds and a compactness principle, which now bear his name. Gromov is one of the founders of the field of global symplectic geometry. Holomorphic curves were known to be an important tool in the geometry of complex manifolds. However, the environment of integrable complex structures was too rigid. In a famous paper in 1985, he extended the concept of holomorphic curves to J-holomorphic curves on symplectic manifolds. This led to the theory of Gromov-Witten invariants, which is now an extremely active subject linked to modern quantum field theory. It also led to the creation of symplectic topology and gradually penetrated and transformed many other areas of mathematics. Gromov’s work on groups of polynomial growth introduced ideas that forever changed the way in which a discrete infinite group is viewed.
    [Show full text]