Hofer-Zehnder capacity and length minimizing Hamiltonian paths (Q1601285)

The authors show that a path that is generated by a generic autonomous Hamiltonian is length minimizing with respect to the Hofer norm among all homotopic paths provided that it induces no non-constant closed trajectories in a closed symplectic manifold \((M, \omega)\). They use the criteria of \textit{E. Lalonde} and \textit{D. McDuff} [Invent. Math. 122, 1-33, 35-69 (1995; Zbl 0844.58020, Zbl 0844.58021)], unnecessary restrictions of which, such as the hypothesis that \(\dim M\leq 4\) or \((M,\omega)\) is semi-monotone, is removed. They describe the role of Hofer-Zehnder capacities to prove the result and discuss in detail some technicalities about the intersections of bubbles and Floer trajectories. In the last part, they explain that the area-capacity inequality for the general manifold \((M,\omega)\) is obtained by using the method of \(S^1\)-equivariant Gromov-Witten invariants and virtual modular cycles of \textit{G. Liu and G. Tian} [Acta Math. Sinica 15, No.1, 53-80 (1999; Zbl 0928.53041)]. For notions of Gromov-Witten invariants and others, readers can consult the book of \textit{D. McDuff} and \textit{D. Salamon} [Univ. Lecture Series 6, Am. Math. Soc. (1994; Zbl 0809.53002)].