Examples of contact mapping classes of infinite order in all dimensions (Q2031147)

Let \(V\) be a smooth \((2n+1)\)-manifold and \(\xi\) a contact structure on \(V\), that is, \(\xi\) is a hyperplane distribution on \(V\) satisfying a condition of complete non-integrability. In this paper the author studies the topology of the space of contactomorphisms \(\mathrm{Diff}(V,\xi)\) of the contact manifold \((V,\xi)\), comparing it with the one of the space of diffeomorphisms \(\mathrm{Diff}(V)\) of the manifold \(V\). It is known that the space \(\mathrm{Cont}(V)\) of contact structures on \(V\) plays an important role in the study of the relations between \(\mathrm{Diff}(V,\xi)\) and \(\mathrm{Diff}(V)\). Indeed, the map \(\mathrm{Diff}(V)\to\mathrm{Cont}(V)\), defined by \(\phi \mapsto \phi_*(\xi)\), is a locally-trivial fibration with fiber \(\mathrm{Diff}(V,\xi)\). This fibration induces a long exact sequence of homotopy groups \(\ldots \rightarrow \pi_{k+1}\left(\mathrm{Cont}(V)\right)\rightarrow \pi_k\left(\mathrm{Diff}(V,\xi)\right) \xrightarrow{j_*} \pi_k\left(\mathrm{Diff}(V)\right)\rightarrow \pi_k\left(\mathrm{Cont}(V)\right)\rightarrow\ldots \) where \(j_*:\pi_k\left(\mathrm{Diff}(V,\xi)\right)\rightarrow\pi_k\left(\mathrm{Diff}(V)\right)\) is the map induced on the homotopy groups by the natural inclusion \(j:\mathrm{Diff}(V,\xi)\rightarrow\mathrm{Diff}(V)\). This paper focuses on the problem of the existence of infinite cyclic subgroups in \(\ker(j_*\vert_{\pi_{0}})\). The only known example of such a phenomenon is found in [\textit{R. E. Gompf}, Ann. Math. (2) 148, No. 2, 619--693 (1998; Zbl 0919.57012)] and [\textit{F. Ding} and \textit{H. Geiges}, Compos. Math. 146, No. 4, 1096--1112 (2010; Zbl 1209.57021)]. More precisely, Gompf argues that \(S^{2}\times S^1\), equipped with its unique (up to isotopy) tight contact structure \(\xi_{std}\), has a contact mapping class of infinite order. Then, starting from Gompf's remark, Ding and Geiges prove that \(\ker(j_*\vert_{\pi_{0}})\) and \(\pi_1(\mathrm{Con}(S^{2}\times S^1),\xi_{std})\) are actually both isomorphic to \(\mathbb{Z}\). In this paper the author gives examples of tight high dimensional contact manifolds admitting a contactomorphism whose powers are all smoothly isotopic but not contact-isotopic to the identity. This is a generalization of an observation in dimension 3 by Gompf, also reused by Ding and Geiges.