What does a vector field know about volume? (Q2124779): Difference between revisions

A vector field \(X\) without zeros on a manifold \(M\) is called geodesible if there is a Riemannian metric on \(M\) such that the flow lines of \(X\) are unit speed geodesics -- equivalently, if there exists a one-form \(\alpha\) invariant under the flow of \(X\) such that \(\alpha(X) = 1\). It was observed by \textit{C. B. Croke} and \textit{B. Kleiner} [J. Differ. Geom. 39, No. 3, 659--680 (1994; Zbl 0807.53035)] that if \(M^{2n+1}\) is closed and orientable, the integral \(\int_M \alpha\wedge (d\alpha)^n\) is independent of the form \(\alpha\); in the paper at hand this number is hence called the volume of \(X\). In particular, the volume of a closed contact manifold is determined by the Reeb vector field alone. This raised the question, posed to the author by Claude Viterbo, whether there exist nondiffeomorphic contact forms on the same manifold with the same Reeb vector field. This paper contains a variety of results motivated by this question (which is answered in the affirmative by giving explicit examples as Boothby-Wang bundles, using a construction of \textit{D. McDuff} [Invent. Math. 89, 13--36 (1987; Zbl 0625.53040)] of cohomologous, non-diffeomorphic symplectic forms) as well as the above notion of volume. Amongst others, the question whether one can compute the volume of a geodesible vector field explicitly from the vector field alone is answered positively in some special cases, such as Seifert fibered \(3\)-manifolds. Moreover, theorems of Gauß-Bonnet and Poincaré-Hopf are proved for \(2\)-dimensional orbifolds.