The characteristic mapping of a foliated bundle (Q1208248)

The authors associate to each \(q\)-codimensional smooth foliation \({\mathcal F}\) of a closed, orientable, connected \(m\)-manifold \(M\) a symmetric \((q+1)\)-linear mapping \(\alpha\) of \(H^ 1({\mathcal F})\) into the real cohomology group \(H^{2q+1}(M)\), called the characteristic mapping of the foliated manifold. In the present paper they study \(\alpha\) in the case when \(M\) is the total space of a fiber bundle \(F\to M@>\tau>> T^ p\) and \({\mathcal F}\) is a foliation of \(M\) transverse to the fibers of \(\tau\). \({\mathcal F}\) is therefore a suspension of an action \(\varphi: \mathbb{Z}^ p\to\text{diff }F\). The authors give ergodic properties of \(\varphi\) which imply the vanishing of \(\alpha\). Finally, they prove a theorem which relates the non-degeneracy of the characteristic mapping of a non-singular action of \(\mathbb{R}^ 2\) on a 3-manifold \(M\) with the existence and stability of compact orbits.