On the non-persistence of Hamiltonian identity cycles (Q1014722)

An identity cycle for a polynomial foliation \(\mathcal F\) of \({\mathbb C}^2\) is a closed non-contractible loop on a leaf of \(\mathcal F\) whose holonomy map is the identity; it is moreover called a Hamiltonian identity cycle if \(\mathcal F\) is Hamiltonian, that is \({\mathcal F}=\{df=0\}\) for some polynomial \(f\). A famous conjecture says that a generic polynomial foliation cannot have identity cycles. In this paper the authors extend previous results by \textit{Yu.S. Ilyashenko} and \textit{A. S. Pyartli} [Russ. J. Math. Phys. 2, No. 3, 275--315 (1994; Zbl 0915.34005)] about Hamiltonian identity cycles. Let \({\mathcal F}=\{df=0\}\) be a Hamiltonian polynomial foliation of \({\mathbb C}^2\), and assume that \(\mathcal F\) has an identity cycle \(\delta_0\subset f^{-1}(0)\). Embed \(\delta_0\) in a continuous family \(\delta_t\subset f^{-1}(t)\) of non-contractible closed loops; then there is \(k\geq 1\) such that \(\delta_t\) is a non-zero element of \(\text{gr}^k F_t\), where \(F_t\) is the fundamental group of \(f^{-1}(t)\), and \(\text{gr}^k F_t\) is the \(k\)-th element in the lower central series of \(F_t\), given by \(\text{gr}^1 F_t=F_t\) and \(\text{gr}^k F_t=[F_t, \text{gr}^{k-1}F_t]\). Then the authors prove that if \(\delta_t\) is generic, or \(\deg f=3\) and \(\delta_t\in\text{gr}^2 F_t\) (case not covered by Ilyashenko and Pyartli), then there is a sufficiently small polynomial perturbation of~\(\mathcal F\) destroying the identity cycle~\(\delta_0\). The proof, mostly algebraic in character, relies on Chen's theory of iterated path integrals, helpfully summarized in the paper.