We introduce an analogue of the inflation technique of Lalonde-McDuff, allowing us to obtain new symplectic forms from symplectic surfaces of negative self-intersection in symplectic four-manifolds. We consider the implications of this construction for the symplectic cones of Kähler surfaces, proving along the way a result which can be used to simplify the intersections of distinct pseudoholomorphic curves via a perturbation.
We relate the quantum Steenrod square to Seidel's equivariant pair-of-pants product for open convex symplectic manifolds that are either monotone or exact, using an equivariant version of the PSS isomorphism. We proceed similarly for $\mathbb{Z}/2$-equivariant symplectic cohomology, using an equivariant version of the continuation and $c^*$-maps. We prove a symplectic Cartan relation, pointing out the difficulties in stating it. We give a nonvanishing result for the equivariant pair-of-pants product for some elements of $SH^*(T^* S^n)$. We finish by calculating the symplectic square for the ne…
We prove the Conley conjecture for negative monotone, closed symplectic manifolds, i.e., the existence of infinitely many periodic orbits for Hamiltonian diffeomorphisms of such manifolds.
In this paper, we study strong symplectic fillability and Stein fillability of some tight contact structures on negative parabolic and negative hyperbolic torus bundles over the circle. For the universally tight contact structure with twisting $π$ in $S^1$-direction on a negative parabolic torus bundle, we completely determine its strong symplectic fillability and Stein fillability. For the universally tight contact structure with twisting $π$ in $S^1$-direction on a negative hyperbolic torus bundle, we give a necessary condition for it being strongly symplectically fillable. For the virtually…
Let M be the total space of a negative line bundle over a closed symplectic manifold. We prove that the quotient of quantum cohomology by the kernel of a power of quantum cup product by the first Chern class of the line bundle is isomorphic to symplectic cohomology. We also prove this for negative vector bundles and the top Chern class. We explicitly calculate the symplectic and quantum cohomologies of O(-n) over P^m. For n=1, M is the blow-up of C^{m+1} at the origin and symplectic cohomology has rank m. The symplectic cohomology vanishes if and only if the first Chern class of the line bundl…
In this paper we will prove that for a compact, symplectic manifold $(M, ω)$ and for $ω$-compatible almost-complex structure J any properly perturbed J-holomorphic curve has a non-negative symplectic area. This non-negative property provides us with a new obstruction to the bubbling off phenomenon and thus allows us to redefine the Floer symplectic homology. In particular, in subsequent papers, we will prove the Arnold conjecture in both degenerate and non-degenerate cases with integer coefficients for general, symplectic manifolds.
We show that every negative definite configuration of symplectic surfaces in a symplectic 4--manifold has a strongly symplectically convex neighborhood. We use this to show that, if a negative definite configuration satisfies an additional negativity condition at each surface in the configuration, and if the complex singularity with resolution diffeomorphic to a neighborhood of the configuration has a smoothing, then the configuration can be symplectically replaced by the smoothing of the singularity. This generalizes the symplectic rational blowdown procedure used in recent constructions of s…
Given an ascending sequence of weak symplectic Banach manifolds on which the Darboux theorem is true, we can ask about conditions under which the Darboux Theorem is also true on the direct limit. We will show in general, without very strong conditions, the answer is negative. In particular we give an example of an ascending weak symplectic Banach manifolds on which the Darboux Theorem is true but not on the direct limit. In a second part, we illustrate this discussion in the context of an ascending sequences of Sobolev manifolds of loops in symplectic finite dimensional manifolds. This context…
The recent example of Hanges: $P = \partial_t^2 + t^2Δ_x + \partial^2_{θ(x)}$ in $R^3$ is analytic hypoelliptic in the sense of germs but not in the strong sense in any neighborhood of the origin. And its characteristic variety is non-symplectic. We give a purely $L^2,$ and hence quite flexible, proof of this result and generalizations, and link it to, and contrast it with, the celebrated Baouendi-Goulaouic operator. We point out that the results are consistent with the conjecture of Treves.
We prove that the generalized symplectic capacities recognize objects in symplectic categories whose objects are of the form $(M, ω)$, such that $M$ is a compact and 1-connected manifold, $ω$ is an exact symplectic form on $M$, and there exists a boundary component of $M$ with negative helicity. The set of generalized symplectic capacities is thus a complete invariant for such categories. This answers a question by Cieliebak, Hofer, Latschev, and Schlenk. It appears to be the first result concerning this question, except for recognition results for manifolds of dimension 2, ellipsoids, and pol…
In the context of symplectic dynamics, pseudo-rotations are Hamiltonian diffeomorphisms with finite and minimal possible number of periodic orbits. These maps are of interest in both dynamics and symplectic topology. We show that a closed, monotone symplectic manifold, which admits a non-degenerate pseudo-rotation, must have a deformed quantum Steenrod square of the top degree element, and hence non-trivial holomorphic spheres. This result (partially) generalizes a recent work by Shelukhin and complements the results by the authors on non-vanishing Gromov-Witten invariants of manifolds admitti…
We construct an infinite family of odd-symplectic forms (also known as Hamiltonian structures) on the 3-sphere that do not admit a symplectic cobordism to the standard contact structure on the 3-sphere. This answers in the negative a question raised by Joel Fish motivated by the search for minimal characteristic flows.
Let (M, g, omega) be a compact, almost-Kaehler Einstein 4-manifold of negative star-scalar curvature. Then (M, omega) is a MINIMAL symplectic 4-manifold of general type. In particular, M cannot be differentiably decomposed as a connected sum N # (-CP_2).
We establish various stability results for symplectic surfaces in symplectic $4-$manifolds with $b^+=1$. These results are then applied to prove the existence of representatives of Lagrangian ADE-configurations as well as to classify negative symplectic spheres in symplectic $4-$manifolds with $κ=-\infty$. This involves the explicit construction of spheres in rational manifolds via a new construction technique called the tilted transport.
Let M be a closed oriented smooth 4-manifold admitting symplectic structures. If M is minimal and has b^+=1, we prove that there is a unique symplectic canonical class up to sign, and any real second cohomology class of positive square is represented by symplectic forms. Similar results hold when M is not minimal.
We give a short proof of the (known) result that there are no Kaehler structures on exotic tori. This yields a negative solution to a problem posed by Benson and Gordon. W discuss the symplectic version of the problem and analyze results which yield an evidence for the conjecture that there are no symplectic structures on exotic tori.
Let $(M,ω)$ be a symplectic 4-manifold of negative Kodaira dimension. Let $C$ be an $ω$-symplectic curve, $J$-holomorphic for some $J$ tamed by $ω$. Then $[C]^2$ is bounded below by a constant depending only on $ω$. Related bounded negativity problems for other structures are also briefly discussed. In particular, the symplectic result implies the bounded negativity conjecture for complex projective surfaces with Kodaira dimension $κ=-\infty$.
In this article we prove that on any closed symplectic manifold there exists an arbitrarily $C^\infty$-small Hamiltonian diffeomorphism not admitting a square root.
In this short note, we present a construction of new symplectic 4-manifolds with non-negative signature using the complex surfaces on Bogomolov-Miyaoka-Yau line $c_1^2 = 9χ_h$, the fake projective planes and Cartwright-Steger surfaces. Our construction yields an infinite family of fake rational homology $(2n-1)\CP#(2n-1)\CPb$ for any integer $3 \leq n \leq 22$.
We study the set of deRham classes of Lee $1$-forms of the locally conformally symplectic (LCS) structures taming the complex structure of a compact complex surface in the Kodaira class VII, and show that the existence of non-trivial upper/lower bounds with respect to the degree function correspond respectively to the existence of certain negative/non-negative PSH functions on the universal cover. We use this to prove that the set of Lee deRham classes of taming LCS is connected, as well as to obtain an explicit negative upper bound for this set on the hyperbolic Kato surfaces. This leads to a…
We show, using standard results in length spectrum rigidity and symplectic homology, that if the unit tangent bundles of two compact surfaces of negative curvature are exact symplectomorphic, then the underlying surfaces are isometric, and hence the disk bundles are symplectomorphic smoothly up to the boundaries. Motivated by the work of Eliashberg and Hofer on unseen symplectic boundaries, we try to extend the above result to other classes of domains in (co)tangent bundles of surfaces. The domains we can treat consist of those bounded by deformations of negatively curved unit cotangent bundle…
Let X_1, X_2 be symplectic 4-manifolds containing symplectic surfaces F_1,F_2 of identical positive genus and opposite squares. Let Z denote the symplectic sum of X_1 and X_2 along the F_k. Using relative Gromov--Witten theory, we determine precisely when the symplectic 4-manifold Z is minimal (i.e., cannot be blown down); in particular, we prove that Z is minimal unless either: one of the X_k contains a (-1)-sphere disjoint from F_k; or one of the X_k admits a ruling with F_k as a section. As special cases, this proves a conjecture of Stipsicz asserting the minimality of fiber sums of Lefsche…
We consider the canonical contact structures on links of rational surface singularities with reduced fundamental cycle. These singularities can be characterized by their dual resolution graphs: the graph is a tree, and the weight of each vertex is no greater than its negative valency. In a joint work with Starkston, we previously showed that if the weight of each vertex in the graph is at most -5, the contact structure has a unique symplectic filling (up to symplectic deformation and blow-up). The proof was based on a symplectic analog of de Jong-van Straten's description of smoothings of thes…
We study the fields of endomorphisms intertwining pairs of symplectic structures. Using these endomorphisms we prove an analogue of Moser's theorem for simultaneous isotopies of two families of symplectic forms. We also consider the geometric structures defined by pairs and triples of symplectic forms for which the squares of the intertwining endomorphisms are plus or minus the identity. For pairs of forms we recover the notions of symplectic pairs and of holomorphic symplectic structures. For triples we recover the notion of a hypersymplectic structure, and we also find three new structures t…
Symplectic forms taming complex structures on compact manifolds are strictly related to Hermitian metrics having the fundamental form $\partial \bar \partial $-closed, i.e. to strong Kähler with torsion (${\rm SKT}$) metrics. It is still an open problem to exhibit a compact example of a complex manifold having a tamed symplectic structure but non-admitting Kähler structures. We show some negative results for the existence of symplectic forms taming complex structures on compact quotients of Lie groups by discrete subgroups. In particular, we prove that if $M$ is a nilmanifold (not a torus) end…
We explicitly produce symplectic genus-3 Lefschetz pencils (with base points), whose total spaces are homeomorphic but not diffeomorphic to rational surfaces CP^2 # p (-CP^2) for p= 7, 8, 9. We then give a new construction of an infinite family of symplectic Calabi-Yau surfaces with first Betti number b_1=2,3, along with a surface with b_1=4 homeomorphic to the 4-torus. These are presented as the total spaces of symplectic genus-3 Lefschetz pencils we construct via new positive factorizations in the mapping class group of a genus-3 surface. Our techniques in addition allow us to answer in the …
In this note we prove that if a closed monotone symplectic manifold admits a Hamiltonian pseudo-rotation, which may be degenerate, then the quantum Steenrod square of the cohomology class Poincaré dual to the point must be deformed. This result gives restrictions on the existence of pseudo-rotations, implying a form of uniruledness by pseudo-holomorphic spheres, and generalizes a recent result of the author. The new component in the proof consists in an elementary calculation with capped periodic orbits.
We present the various constructions of new symplectic $4$-manifolds with non-negative signatures using the complex surfaces on the BMY line $c_1^2 = 9χ_h$, the Cartwright-Steger surfaces, the quotients of Hirzebruch's certain line-arrangement surfaces, along with the exotic symplectic $4$-manifolds constructed in \cite{AP2, AS}. In particular, our constructions yield to (i) an irreducible symplectic and infinitely many non-symplectic $4$-manifolds that are homeomorphic but not diffeomorphic to $(2n-1)CP^{2}\#(2n-1)\bar{CP}^{2}$ for each integer $n \geq 9$, (ii) the families of simply connecte…
Let X be a minimal surface of general type with positive geometric genus ($b_+ > 1$) and let $K^2$ be the square of its canonical class. Building on work of Khodorovskiy and Rana, we prove that if X develops a Wahl singularity of length $\ell$ in a Q-Gorenstein degeneration, then $\ell \leq 4K^2 + 7$. This improves on the current best-known upper bound due to Lee ($\ell \leq 400(K^2)^4$). Our bound follows from a stronger theorem constraining symplectic embeddings of certain rational homology balls in surfaces of general type. In particular, we show that if the rational homology ball $B_{p,1}$…
In this work, we establish new rigidity results for the Maslov class of Lagrangian submanifolds in large classes of closed and convex symplectic manifolds. Our main result establishes upper bounds for the minimal Maslov number of displaceable Lagrangian submanifolds which are product manifolds whose factors each admit a metric of negative sectional curvature. Such Lagrangian submanifolds exist in every symplectic manifold of dimension greater than six or equal to four. The proof utilizes the relations between closed geodesics on the Lagrangian, the periodic orbits of geometric Hamiltonian flow…
We discuss a correspondence between certain contact pairs on the one hand, and certain locally conformally symplectic forms on the other. In particular, we characterize these structures through suspensions of contactomorphisms. If the contact pair is endowed with a normal metric, then the corresponding lcs form is locally conformally Kaehler, and, in fact, Vaisman. This leads to classification results for normal metric contact pairs. In complex dimension two we obtain a new proof of Belgun's classification of Vaisman manifolds under the additional assumption that the Kodaira dimension is non-n…
In this note we prove that if a closed monotone symplectic manifold $M$ of dimension $2n,$ satisfying a homological condition that holds in particular when the minimal Chern number is $N>n,$ admits a Hamiltonian pseudo-rotation, then the quantum Steenrod square of the point class must be deformed. This gives restrictions on the existence of pseudo-rotations. Our methods rest on previous work of the author, Zhao, and Wilkins, going back to the equivariant pair-of-pants product-isomorphism of Seidel.
We study neighborhoods of configurations of symplectic surfaces in symplectic 4-manifolds. We show that suitably `positive' configurations have neighborhoods with concave boundaries and we explicitly describe open book decompositions of the boundaries supporting the associated negative contact structures. This is used to prove symplectic nonfillability for certain contact 3-manifolds and thus nonpositivity for certain mapping classes on surfaces with boundary. Similarly, we show that certain pairs of contact 3-manifolds cannot appear as the disconnected convex boundary of any connected symplec…
We recall the main facts about the odd Laplacian acting on half-densities on an odd symplectic manifold and discuss a homological interpretation for it suggested recently by P. {Š}evera. We study the relationship of odd symplectic geometry with classical objects. We show that the Berezinian of a canonical transformation for an odd symplectic form is a polynomial in matrix entries and a complete square. This is a simple but fundamental fact, parallel to Liouville's theorem for an even symplectic structure. We draw attention to the fact that the de Rham complex on $M$ naturally admits an action …
