Symplectic cuts (Q1902218)

The author describes his symplectic cutting construction and some of the interesting applications which have recently been made of it. Let \(\mu: M \to \mathbb{R}\) be a moment map for a Hamiltonian circle action on a symplectic manifold \(M\), and let \(\varepsilon\) be a regular value of the moment map \(\Phi_+ (m, w) = \mu(m) - |w|^2\) for the diagonal circle action on \(M \times \mathbb{C}\) endowed with a suitable symplectic structure. Then the symplectic reduction \(\Phi^{-1}_+ (\varepsilon)/S^1\) can be naturally identified with the disjoint union of \(\mu^{-1} (\varepsilon)/S^1\) and \(\mu^{-1} (\varepsilon, \infty)\). If the symplectic structure on \(M \times \mathbb{C}\) is modified slightly we get a moment map \(\Phi_- (m,w) = \mu(m) + |w|^2\), and then \(\Phi^{-1}_- (\varepsilon) /S^1\) is the disjoint union of \(\mu^{-1} (\varepsilon)/S^1\) and \(\mu^{-1} (-\infty, \varepsilon)\). The operation which produces \(\Phi^{- 1}_{\pm}(\varepsilon)/S^1\) from \(M\) (or its generalisation to cases when there is no global Hamiltonian circle action) is called symplectic cutting and has proved extremely fruitful.