Fiber connectivity and bifurcation diagrams of almost toric integrable systems (Q2347744)

This paper is concerned with a class of four-dimensional connected symplectic integrable manifolds \(M\) called almost-toric. We take the functionally independent integrals on \(M\) as \(f_1,f_2\) where \(\{f_1,f_2\}=0\) and \(\{\cdot,\cdot\}\) is the Poisson bracket. The function \(F:M\to{\mathbb R}^2\) defined by \(F(m)=(f_1(m),f_2(m))\), \(m\in M\) is called the ``momentum map''. The set of singularities of this map, \(\Sigma_F\subset M\), is the bifurcation set. In this paper, they are just the nondegenerate critical points of the mapping. From the point of view of classical mechanics, the momentum map and its bifurcation set contain important information about the behavior of a physical system. In particular, the bifurcation set identifies points in phase space where discontinuous changes can occur. In this paper the authors identify sufficient conditions for the fibers of the momentum map to be connected. The analysis and results are based on the normal forms for nondegenerate critical points [\textit{J. Williamson}, Am. J. Math. 58, 141--163 (1936; JFM 63.1290.01); \textit{L. H. Eliasson}, Comment. Math. Helv. 65, No. 1, 4--35 (1990; Zbl 0702.58024)]: Near a critical point \(m\in M\) there exist local symplectic coordinates \((x_1,x_2,\xi_1,\xi_2)\) such that \(m\) has coordinates \((0,\cdots,0)\) and the following possibilities occur for \(f_j=q_j+o(2)\): {\parindent=6mm \begin{itemize} \item[(i)] Elliptic component: \(q_j=(x_j^2+\xi_j^2)/2\). \item [(ii)] Hyperbolic component \(q_j=x_j\xi_j\). \item [(iii)] Non-singular component: \(q_j=\xi_j\). \item [(iv)] Focus-focus components: \(q_1=x_1\xi_2-x_2\xi_1,\;q_2=x_1\xi_1+x_2\xi_2\). \end{itemize}} In cases (i)-(iii), \(j\) can be either 1 or 2. Moreover, if \(m\) has no hyperbolic component, then \((F-F(m))\circ \phi=g\circ(q_1,q_2)\), where \(\phi=(x_1,x_2,\xi_1,\xi_2)^{-1}\) and \(g\) is a local diffeomorphism such that \(g(0,\cdots,0)=(0,\cdots,0)\). The integrable system \(F\) is called ``almost-toric'' if the critical points contain no hyperbolic components. We point out that if \(F:T^2\to {\mathbb R}^2\) is the momentum map of a Hamiltonian 2-torus action, the system is called ``toric''. Integrable systems with nondegenerate singularities such that \(f_1\) generates a Hamiltonian \(S^1\)-action are ``semitoric''. Both are special cases of almost-toric systems. For almost-toric 4-manifolds the possible critical points are elliptic-elliptic, focus-focus and transversally (nonsingular)-elliptic. An important fact is that the bifurcation set \(\Sigma_F\) for \(F\) a proper map is the union of isolated points and of smooth images of immersions of closed intervals. Thus, except for the isolated singularities, one can define a tangent vector along the immersions. One of the authors' main results is a sufficient condition for the fibers of any connected integrable 4-manifold with proper momentum map \(F:M\to {\mathbb R}^2\), without hyperbolic singularities, to have connected fibers. The condition is, essentially, that there exists a diffeomorphism \(g:F(M)\to {\mathbb R}^2\) such that {\parindent=6mm\begin{itemize}\item[1)] \(g(F(M))\) is contained in a certain proper convex cone \(C\) and \item[2)] the image \(g(\Sigma_F)\) has no vertical tangents. \end{itemize}} A further consequence is that \(\Sigma_F=\partial(F(M))\, \bigsqcup\, {\mathcal F}\) where \(\mathcal F\) is a countable set of singularities contained in the interior of \(F(M)\). If \(M\) is compact, then condition 1) is automatically satisfied. The full proofs are lengthy and complicated, but several of the intermediate results have independent interest. The results are applied to show how the bifurcation diagram of an almost-toric system gives detailed information about the image of the fibration. Several examples are provided of systems with connected and disconnected fibers.