No label defined (Q4549296)

The author gives an overview of her works with T. Parker on the symplectic sum formula for the Gromov-Taubes invariant, and some applications of the sum formula. For a given integral homology class of dimension 2 in a closed symplectic manifold \(X\), we want to get some information on \(X\) by studying the moduli space of stable pseudo-holomorphic maps representing the homology class. Using the moduli space we can define Gromov-Witten invariants which is a count of holomorphic curves with appropriate constraints. An effective way of computing the Gromov-Witten (GW) invariants is to describe the behavior of GW invariants by splitting the symplectic manifold. Let \(X\) and \(Y\) be symplectic manifolds and a codimension two symplectic submanifold \(V\). By a symplectic identification between the two copies of \(V\) and a complex anti-linear isomorphism between the normal bundles of \(V\) in \(X\) and in \(Y\) we get the symplectic sum \(X\#_V Y\) of \((X,V)\) and \((Y,V)\). The symplectic sum formula for GW invariants is obtained by relating the stable pseudo-holomorphic maps to the sum to be pairs of stable maps into the two sides which match in \(V\) as the neck size goes to 0. To define the relative Gromov-Witten invariants we consider the moduli space of \(V\)-regular stable maps. However the limit map by squeezing the neck may not be connected in \(X\) and \(Y\) sides. To get an appropriate sum formula we should work with the Gromov-Taubes (GT) invariant rather than the Gromov-Witten (GW) invariant. Moreover, the limit map may have components in \(V\), such a map is not counted by the relative invariant. As a result, the sum formula has an extra term called the \(S_V\)-matrix which keeps track of how the genus, homology class, and intersection points with \(V\) change as the images of stable maps pass through the neck region. Let \(\alpha\in H_2(X\#_V Y;\mathbb Z)\) be decomposed into \(\alpha_X\in H_2(X;\mathbb Z)\) on \(X\) and \(\alpha_Y\in H_2(Y;\mathbb Z)\) on \(Y\). Then the GT invariant of \(X\#_V Y\) is given by the relative GT invariants of \((X,V)\) and \((Y,V)\) by GT\(_{X\#_V Y}(\alpha)=\text{GT}_X^V(\alpha_X)*S_V*\text{GT}_Y^V(\alpha_Y)\), where \(*\) is the convolution operation. The author introduces several applications of the sum formula. Let \(\overline{\mathcal M}_{g,n}\) be the moduli space of the stable genus \(g\) curves with \(n\) marked points. The author gets some relations in the cohomology ring \(H^*(\overline{\mathcal M}_{g,n};\mathbb Q)\) considering the moduli space \(\overline{\mathcal M}_{d,g,n}\) of degree \(d\) holomorphic maps from stable genus \(g\) curves with \(n\) marked points to the rational curves with a fixed ramification pattern over \(r\) marked points. For each symplectomorphism \(f\) of a symplectic manifold \(X\) there is a symplectic mapping cylinder \(X_f=X\times \mathbb R \times S^1/\mathbb Z\). The author regards \(X_f\) as a symplectic sum and introduces the Gromov-Witten invariant of \(X_f\) and of fiber sums of the \(X_f\) with other symplectic manifolds. For the entire collection see [Zbl 0993.00022].