Rational symplectic field theory for Legendrian knots (Q607715)

The author constructs a curved differential graded algebra associated to a Legendrian knot in standard contact three-space. The construction is combinatorial and uses ideas from Symplectic Field Theory and string topology. The author proves that the algebra is invariant under restricted Legendrian isotopies. A curved \(dg\)-algebra is a triple \(({\mathcal A}, d, F)\) where \({\mathcal A}\) is a graded associative algebra over \({\mathbb Z}\), \(d:{\mathcal A} \rightarrow {\mathcal A}\) is a derivation, the curvature \(F\) is a degree \(-2\) element for which \(dF = 0\), and for all \(x \in {\mathcal A}\), \(d^2(x) = [F,x]\), where \([x,y] = xy - (-1)^{|x| |y|} yx\). A filtered curved \(dg\)-algebra comes with a descending filtration of subalgebras \(\{{\mathcal F}^i{\mathcal A}\}_{i=0}^\infty\) with respect to which \(d\) is a filtered derivation and \(F \in {\mathcal F}^1{\mathcal A}\). A morphism of curved \(dg\)-algebras is a map \((\varphi,\alpha): ({\mathcal A},d,F) \rightarrow ({\mathcal A}',d',F')\) such that \(\varphi:{\mathcal A} \rightarrow {\mathcal A}'\) is a graded map, \(\alpha\in {\mathcal A}'\) has degree \(-1\), \(d'\varphi(\cdot) = \varphi d(\cdot) + [\alpha, \varphi(\cdot)]\), and \(F' = \varphi(F) + d\alpha + \alpha^2\). Two filtered morphisms of filtered curved \(dg\)-algebras \((\varphi,\alpha)\) and \((\varphi',\alpha')\) are chain homotopic if \(\alpha = \alpha'\) and there exists a \({\mathbb Z}\)-module map \(H:{\mathcal H}' \rightarrow {\mathcal H}'\) of degree 1 such that \(\varphi - \varphi' = Hd' + d'H\). A filtered morphism \((\varphi,\alpha): ({\mathcal A},d,F) \rightarrow ({\mathcal A}',d',F')\) is a homotopy equivalence if there exists a filtered morphism \((\varphi',\alpha'): ({\mathcal A}',d',F') \rightarrow ({\mathcal A},d,F)\) such that both \((\varphi',\alpha') \circ (\varphi,\alpha)\) and \((\varphi,\alpha) \circ (\varphi',\alpha')\) are chain homotopic to the identity. With these definitions, the main result of this paper is Theorem 2.5. Rational SFT gives a map from Legendrian knots in \({\mathbb R}^3\) modulo Legendrian isotopy to filtered curved \(dg\)-algebras modulo homotopy equivalence. The filtered curved \(dg\)-algebra that the author associates to a Legendrian knot in \({\mathbb R}^3\) is termed an LSFT algebra. An LSFT algebra is a filtered graded tensor algebra \(\hat{{\mathcal A}} = {\mathbb Z}\langle q_1,\dots , q_n,p_1, \dots\), \(p_n, t, t^{-1}\rangle\) satisfying the conditions for a filtered curved \(dg\)-algebra such that \(d(t) \in {\mathcal F}^1\hat{{\mathcal A}}\). In Section 2.2 of the paper the author defines notions of elementary automorphism, basis change, gauge change, and algebraic stabilization for LSFT algebras and then defines two LSFT algebras to be equivalent if they are related by some finite sequence of basis changes, gauge changes, stabilizations, and destabilizations. This leads to Proposition 2.15: An equivalence of LSFT algebras is a homotopy equivalence of filtered curved \(dg\)-algebras. Section 2.3 is devoted to giving a combinatorial description of the Legendrian knot invariant. To each Reeb chord \(R_j\) of the Legendrian knot \(\Lambda\) two indeterminates \(q_j\) and \(p_j\) are assigned. Gradings are assigned to \(q_j\) and \(p_j\) using rotation numbers assigned to paths beginning at the overcrossing of \(R_j\) and ending at the undercrossing of \(R_j\). Gradings are also assigned to \(t\) and \(t^{-1}\) using the rotation number of \(\Lambda\). The derivation \(d\) on \(\hat{{\mathcal A}}\) is defined in two parts \(d = d_{{\text SFT}} + d_{\text str}\). The map \(d_{{\text SFT}}\) counts rational holomorphic curves in the symplectization \({\mathbb R} \times {\mathbb R}^3\) with boundary on the Lagrangian cylinder over the knot and boundary punctures approaching Reeb chords at \(\pm \infty\) in the distinguished \({\mathbb R}\) direction, and \(d_{{\text str}}\) encodes a string cobracket operation that glues trivial holomorphic strips to broken closed strings on the knot. Significant attention is given to signs so that the invariant is defined over \({\mathbb Z}\). The two main results in the paper are stated precisely towards the end of Section 2.3: Theorem 2.25. (\(\hat{{\mathcal A}}, d = d_{{\text SFT}} + d_{\text str}\)) is an LSFT algebra and Theorem 2.28. If \(\Lambda\) and \(\Lambda'\) are related by restricted Legendrian isotopy, then the LSFT algebras for \(\Lambda\) and \(\Lambda'\) are equivalent. Section 3 gives an alternate formulation of the LSFT algebra associated to a Legendrian knot in \({\mathbb R}^3\) that is closer to the standard SFT formalism and string topology. This alternate formulation is used to prove Theorem 2.25. Section 4 is devoted to the proof of Theorem 2.28. The paper also has two appendices. The first one discusses orientations and signs, and the second one discusses stabilized knots.