Moment maps for torus actions
Dynamical aspects of finite-dimensional Hamiltonian and Lagrangian systems (37J99) Fixed points and coincidences in algebraic topology (55M20) Symmetries and conservation laws, reverse symmetries, invariant manifolds and their bifurcations, reduction for problems in Hamiltonian and Lagrangian mechanics (70H33)
This paper examines when a moment map exists for a symplectic torus action on a compact manifold. Having in mind that a moment map for a \(G\)-action restricts to a moment map for the action of a Lie subgroup \(H\subset G\), then, nonexistence results for \(S^1\)-actions extend to nonexistence results for torus actions. The author shows that a fixed-point-free action of \(S^1\) on a compact, connected manifold cannot have a moment map. As an application of this together with the Poincaré-Hopf index theorem, a partial converse of a result of Marsden and Weinstein can be shown. Marsden and Weinstein showed that if \(H^1(M, Q)= 0\) then a torus action on \(M\) has a moment map. The partial converse shown in the paper states that if \(S^1\) acts symplectically on a compact surface \(M\) and \(H^1(M, Q)\neq 0\) then there can be no moment map for the action. A surface of revolution, \(M\subset\mathbb{R}^3\), considered as a symplectic manifold with symplectic form the area form, has a natural \(S^1\) action with orbits the parallels of the surface. After discussing the incorrectness of an obvious choice for a moment map, the author gives a true moment map that admits a geometric interpretation: If the surface of revolution is given in cylindrical coordinates by \(r= f(z)\), then the function \(\mu(r_0, \theta_0, z_0)\) given by the area of the part of the surface with \(z< z_0\) is a moment map.
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