A Morse estimate for translated points of contactomorphisms of spheres and projective spaces (Q2391847)

If a \((2n-1)\)-dimensional manifold \(M\) is equipped with a maximally non-integrable distribution \(\xi\) of hyperplanes, then \((M,\xi)\) is a contact manifold. Since \(\xi\) is always co-oriented so it can be expressed as the kernel of a \(1\)-form \(\alpha\) such that \(\alpha\wedge(d\alpha)^{n-1}\) is a volume form. A diffeomorphism \(\varphi\) of \(M\) is called a contactomorphism if it preserves the contact distribution \(\xi\) and its co-orientation, that is, \(\varphi^*\alpha=e^g\alpha\) for some function \(g:M\to\mathbb R\). The Reeb vector field \(R_\alpha\) is defined by \(i_{R_\alpha}d\alpha=0\) and \(\alpha(R_\alpha)=1\). A point \(q\in M\) is called a translated point of a contactomorphism \(\varphi\) with respect to the contact form \(\alpha\) if \(q\) and its image \(\varphi(q)\) belong to the same Reeb orbit, and if moreover \(g(q)=0\). The Arnold conjecture states that the number of fixed points of a Hamiltonian symplectomorphism \(\varphi\) of a compact symplectic manifold \((W,\omega)\) is at least equal to the minimal number of critical points of a function on \(W\). In this paper, the author discusses a version of the Arnold conjecture for translated points of contactomorphisms for spheres and projective spaces. It is proven that for the unit sphere \(S^{2n-1}\) in \(\mathbb R^{2n}\) with its standard contact form \(\alpha=x\,dy-y\,dx\), and for the projective space \(\mathbb RP^{2n-1}\) viewed as the quotient of \(S^{2n-1}\) by the antipodal action of \(\mathbb Z_2\), with the induced contact form, every generic contactomorphism of \(S^{2n-1}\) which is contact isotopic to the identity has at least \(2\) translated points, and every contactomorphism of \(\mathbb RP^{2n-1}\) which is contact isotopic to the identity has at least \(2n\) translated points.