Rounding corners of polygons and the embedded contact homology of \(T^3\) (Q2501681): Difference between revisions

The embedded contact homology ECH\((Y,\lambda;\Gamma)\) of a three-dimensional manifold \(Y\) with a contact form \(\lambda\) is the homology of the chain complex generated by finite sets of Reeb orbits such that only non-hyperbolic orbits have nontrivial multiplicities and the total homology class of these orbits is equal to \(\Gamma \in H_1(Y)\). The matrix elements \(\langle \partial \alpha,\beta\rangle\) of the differential \(\partial\) count embedded pseudoholomorphic curves in \({\mathbb R}\times Y\) asymptotic to \(\alpha\) at \(t\to -\infty\) and to \(\beta\) at \(t \to \infty\). The theory of these homologies is similar to the symplectic field theory (SFT) by Eliashberg-Givental-Hofer however SFT is sensitive to a contact structure and there is a conjecture that ECH homology are topologically invariant except they detect the Euler class of the contact structure. Moreover, it is conjectured that this homology agrees with Seiberg-Witten Floer homology by Kronheimer-Mrowka and with the Heegaard Floer homology by Ozsváth-Szabó. In the paper it is noted that this relation can be regarded as an analogue for the symplectic manifold \({\mathbb R} \times Y\) of the Taubes theorem on the equivalence of the Seiberg-Witten invariant to the ``Gromov'' invariant for a closed symplectic four-manifold. We remark that just the coincidence of ECH homology with the Seiberg-Witten Floer homology implies the Weinstein conjecture for all closed oriented three-manifolds. In the present paper the authors consider certain contact forms of the three-torus. In this case for suitable almost complex structures \(J\), the relevant \(J\)-holomorphic curves can be counted explicitly and the computation of the homology is reduced to a computation of the homology of a combinatorial chain complex with a very nice geometrical interpretation. Since the basics of the theory of ECH homology, include the fact that \(\partial^2=0\), are not yet published, this result is formulated modulo the assumption that the ECH homology is well-defined and independent on the almost-complex structure \(J\). The final answer agrees with the Ozsváth-Szabó Floer homology. It is remarked that the methods of this paper can be applied also to other simple contact manifolds such as \(S^1 \times S^2\) or \(T^2\)-bundles over the circle.