On singularities in the degenerated symplectic geometry (Q923383): Difference between revisions

The authors study maximal isotropic varieties of a singular symplectic structure of \({\mathbb{R}}^{2n}\), modelling the absolute zero temperature region in thermodynamics. One of the main applications of symplectic geometry is to describe real states of a system by means of Lagrangian varieties in an appropriate cotangent bundle space. This way structural properties of the system, like phase transitions, bifurcation sets, breaking of wavefronts, etc., are associated with structural and generic properties of the Lagrangian varieties. Non-smooth Lagrangian varieties are needed in thermodynamics to describe phase coexistence, see for example \textit{S. Janeczko} [Ann. Inst. Henri Poincaré, Phys. Theor. 46, 1-26 (1987; Zbl 0611.58026)]. They appeared first in Melrose's theory of glancing surfaces, subsequently extended by Arnol'd; see for example \textit{V. I. Arnol'd} [Russ. Math. Surv. 38, No.2, 87-176 (1983); translation from Usp. Mat. Nauk 38, No.2(230), 77-147 (1983; Zbl 0522.58007)]. The further generalization proposed in this paper, consists in admitting also some singularities in the symplectic structure of the phase space, in order to model critical points in thermodynamics. Besides the canonical symplectic form in \({\mathbb{R}}^{2n}\), the other simple case of a germ at 0 of stable 2-forms is \(\sigma =x_ 1dx_ 1\wedge dy_ 1+dx_ 2\wedge dy_ 2+...+dx_ n\wedge dy_ n.\) This is the natural candidate for singular symplectic structure with a singular Lagrangian fibration \(({\mathbb{R}}^ 2,\sigma,\pi)\) with projection \(\pi: (x,y)\in {\mathbb{R}}^{2n}\to x\in {\mathbb{R}}^ n.\) For modelling the absolute zero temperature, consider the 1-form of internal energy \(\theta =1/2 \gamma^ 2dS-pdV+\mu_ 2dN_ 2+...+\mu_ kdN_ k,\) where \(\gamma\) is a parametric temperature such that the absolute temperature is \(T=\gamma^ 2\). Set \(n=k+1\) and rename coordinates. Then \(\sigma =d\theta\) has stable singularities along \(\{\gamma^ 2=T=0\}\) and is nonsingular elsewhere, while \(\pi\) is projection onto thermodynamic forces, which are the natural control parameters in equilibrium. Given a \(C^{\infty}\) function f: \({\mathbb{R}}^ n\to {\mathbb{R}}\), the image of its exterior differential \(df({\mathbb{R}}^ n)\subset {\mathbb{R}}^ n\times {\mathbb{R}}^{n*}\) is the simplest example of a Lagrangian variety. Taking Morse families of functions depending in some parameters allows us to generate non-smooth Lagrangian varieties. In general, varieties where the symplectic 2-form annihilates are called isotropic. The starting point of this paper is to classify local forms of maximal isotropic submanifolds near \(\{\gamma =0\}\), providing then an initial classification of maximal isotropic varieties of \(\sigma\). They classify their versal singularities and give lists of normal forms of small codimension. These normal forms are connected to singularities of Lagrangian varieties in a symplectic manifold with boundary. We remark that thermodynamics has also been studied by means of contact structures and Legendre varieties, by adding a coordinate for the internal energy.