Floer cohomology and geometric composition of Lagrangian correspondences (Q411730)

Let \(\phi:(M_{0},\omega_{0}) \rightarrow (M_{1}, \omega_{1})\) be a symplectic diffeomorphism. The graph of \(\phi\) is obviously a Lagrangian submanifold in \((M_{0}\times M_{1})\) endowed with the symplectic form \((-\omega_{0}\times \omega_{1})\). A general Lagrangian submanifold \(L_{01}\) of \((M_{0}^{-}\times M_{1})\) is called \textit{Lagrangian correspondence}. One can thus generalize the composition of symplectomorphisms and define \(L_{01}\circ L_{12}\subset (M_{0}^{-}\times M_{2})\) as the projection of the intersection \([L_{01}\times L_{12}]\cap [M_{0}\times\Delta_{M_{1}}\times M_{2}]\), where \(\Delta\) is the diagonal. If the intersection is transverse then the geometric composition is an immersed Lagrangian submanifold. This notion was introduced by \textit{A. Weinstein} in [Lectures on symplectic manifolds. Providence, R. I.: American Mathematical Society (AMS) (1977; Zbl 0406.53031)] as an attempt to build a symplectic category. The main objects of the paper under review are \textit{embedded} Lagrangian correspondences and the behaviour of their Floer homology under compositions. The main theorem asserts that if \(L_{0}\subset M_{0}\), \(L_{01}\subset (M_{0}^{-}\times M_{1}) \), \(L_{12}\subset (M_{1}^{-}\times M_{2})\), \(L_{2}\subset M_{2}\) are closed monotone Lagrangian submanifolds of Maslov number \(N\geq 3\), then the canonical bijection \[ (L_{0}\times L_{12})\cap (L_{01}\times L_{2})\approx (L_{0}\times L_{2})\cap (L_{01}\circ L_{12}) \] induces an isomorphism \[ HF(L_{0}\times L_{12}, L_{01}\times L_{2})\rightarrow HF(L_{0}\times L_{2}, L_{01}\circ L_{12}),\tag{1} \] provided thet the composition is embedded and a supplementary monontonicity and minimal Maslov assumption is satisfied (in order to have the Floer homology well-defined). More generally, if \(M_{-1}, M_{0}, \dots, M_{k}=M_{-1}\) are symplectic and \(L_{(\ell-1) \ell}\subset M_{\ell-1}^{-}\times M_{\ell}\) are Lagrangian correspondences for \(\ell=0, \dots, k\), then under the analogous suitable monotonicity and Maslov number assumptions there is an isomorphism \[ HF(\dots, L_{(\ell-1) \ell}, L_{\ell(\ell+1)}, \dots)\approx HF(\dots, L_{(\ell-1) \ell}\circ L_{\ell(\ell+1)}, \dots); \] The theorem above represents the case \(k=3\), \(M_{-1}={pt}\). Only the particular case is treated in this paper: the general one is addressed in [\textit{K. Wehrheim} and \textit{C. T. Woodward}, Geom. Topol. 14, No. 2, 833--902 (2010); corrigendum ibid. 16, No. 1, 127--154 (2012; Zbl 1244.53096)], using the results of the present paper. The proof is based on the fact the differential of the Floer homology in the left side of \((1)\) counts quilted pseudoholomorphic strips: these are triples \((u_{0}, u_{1}, u_{2})\), \(u_{j}: {\mathbb R}\times [0,1]\rightarrow M_{j}\) which match up on the boundary, i.e. \(u_{0}(s,0)\in L_{0}\), \([u_{0}(s,1), u_{1}(s,0)]\in L_{01}\), \([u_{1}(s,1), u_{2}(s,0)]\in L_{12}\) and \(u_{2}(s,1)\in L_{2}\). It is shown in the second paper mentioned above that the ``widths'' \([0,1]\) of \(u_{j}\) can be taken different one from another \(u_{j}: {\mathbb R }\times [0, \delta_{j}]\). Then the idea is to analyse the case when \(\delta_{1}\rightarrow 0\). The authors prove that if \(\delta_{1}\) is small enough then the triples \((u_{j})\) are in one-to-one correspondence with the pairs of psudoholomorphic strips \((u_{0}, u_{2})\) which define the Floer differential for \((L_{0}\times L_{2}, L_{01}\circ L_{12})\). The proof uses an implicit functions argument and a compactness argument. In the latter, the authors had to deal with a new bubbling phenomenon called ``figure eight bubbling''.