Transversality for local Morse homology with symmetries and applications (Q2332886)

In this paper the authors construct a local Morse homology in the presence of a finite cyclic action. To do this they consider the following situation: Let \(M\) be a smooth manifold equipped with a \(\mathbb{Z}_k\)-action, \(f\colon M\to \mathbb{R}\) an invariant smooth function, \(p\in M\) a fixed point that is also an isolated critical point of \(f\). Given an invariant metric \(\theta\) on \(M\) and an open, relatively compact, isolating neighborhood \(U\) for \((f,p)\), they show that there is a \(\mathbb{Z}_k\)-invariant pair \((f',\theta')\), which is Morse-Smale on \(U\), in any \(C^2\)-neighborhood of \((f,\theta)\). Their proof techniques also allow them to show the existence of a global Morse-Smale \(\mathbb{Z}_k\)-invariant pair \((f,\theta)\). But as they point out, this cannot be done in general using a small perturbation. The local Morse homology is then applied to Hamiltonian dynamics, and they obtain a persistence theorem, analogous to the classical shifting lemma for geodesics.