Area-preserving isotopies of self-transverse immersions of \( S ^1\) in \(\mathbb R^2\) (Q1944767)

In the present paper the following theorem is proved. Let \(C\) and \(C^{\prime}\) be two self-transverse immersions of \(S^{1}\) into \(\mathbb{R}^{2}\) and assume that there is a disk-preserving isotopy \(\psi_{t},\) \(0\leq t\leq1,\) of \(\mathbb{R}^{2}\) taking \(C\) to \(C^{\prime},\) i.e., \(\psi_{0}=id,\) \(\psi _{1}(C)=C^{\prime},\) and \(area(\psi_{1}(D))=area(D)\) for every disk \(D\) of \(C\). Then, there exists an area-preserving isotopy \(\phi_{\tau},\) \(0\leq \tau\leq1,\) of \(\mathbb{R}^{2}\) with \(\phi_{0}=id,\) \(\phi_{1}(C)=C^{\prime}\). The theorem is proved by constructing first a semi-area preserving isotopy \(\varkappa_{\tau}\) which takes \(C\) to \(C^{\prime}\) and such that for every disk \(D\) of \(C\) we have \(area(\varkappa_{\tau}(D))=area(D)\) for all \(\tau,\) and then by subdivinding this semi-preserving isotopy into small steps and using a cohomological argument the existence of an area preserving isotopy is shown.