The Topology of a Group Action

This chapter describes the topology of a group action. It proves some topological facts about the fixed point set and the stabilizers of a continuous or a smooth action. The chapter also introduces the equivariant tubular neighborhood theorem and the equivariant Mayer–Vietoris sequence. A tubular neighborhood of a submanifold S in a manifold M is a neighborhood that has the structure of a vector bundle over S. Because the total space of a vector bundle has the same homotopy type as the base space, in calculating cohomology one may replace a submanifold by a tubular neighborhood. The tubular neighborhood theorem guarantees the existence of a tubular neighborhood for a compact regular submanifold. The Mayer–Vietoris sequence is a powerful tool for calculating the cohomology of a union of two open subsets. Both the tubular neighborhood theorem and the Mayer–Vietoris sequence have equivariant counterparts for a G-manifold where G is a compact Lie group.

The Poincaré variational principle in the Lagrange–Poincaré reduction of mechanical systems with symmetry

The local Lagrange–Poincaré equations (the reduced Euler–Lagrange equations) for the mechanical system describing the motion of a scalar particle on a finite-dimensional Riemannian manifold with a given free isometric smooth action of a compact semi-simple Lie group are obtained. The equations are written in terms of dependent coordinates which are used to represent the local dynamic given on the orbit space of the principal fiber bundle. The derivation of the equations is performed with the help of the variational principle developed by Poincaré for mechanical systems with symmetry.

Wong’s equations in Yang-Mills theory

Wong’s equations for the finite-dimensional dynamical system representing the motion of a scalar particle on a compact Riemannian manifold with a given free isometric smooth action of a compact semi-simple Lie group are derived. The equations obtained are written in terms of dependent coordinates which are typically used in an implicit description of the local dynamics given on the orbit space of the principal fiber bundle. Using these equations, we obtain Wong’s equations in a pure Yang-Mills gauge theory with Coulomb gauge fixing. This result is based on the existing analogy between the reduction procedures performed in a finite-dimensional dynamical system and the reduction procedure in Yang-Mills gauge fields.

The Laitinen Conjecture for finite non-solvable groups

For any finite group G, we impose an algebraic condition, the Gnil-coset condition, and prove that any finite Oliver group G satisfying the Gnil-coset condition has a smooth action on some sphere with isolated fixed points at which the tangent G-modules are not isomorphic to each other. Moreover, we prove that, for any finite non-solvable group G not isomorphic to Aut(A6) or PΣL(2, 27), the Gnil-coset condition holds if and only if rG ≥ 2, where rG is the number of real conjugacy classes of elements of G not of prime power order. As a conclusion, the Laitinen Conjecture holds for any finite non-solvable group not isomorphic to Aut(A6).

The Lie Group in Infinite Dimension

A Lie group acting on finite-dimensional space is generated by its infinitesimal transformations and conversely, any Lie algebra of vector fields in finite dimension generates a Lie group (the first fundamental theorem). This classical result is adjusted for the infinite-dimensional case. We prove that the (local,C∞smooth) action of a Lie group on infinite-dimensional space (a manifold modelled onℝ∞) may be regarded as a limit of finite-dimensional approximations and the corresponding Lie algebra of vector fields may be characterized by certain finiteness requirements. The result is applied to the theory of generalized (or higher-order) infinitesimal symmetries of differential equations.

Fixed-point sets of smooth actions on spheres

Given a group, it is a basic problem to determine which manifolds can occur as a fixed-point set of a smooth action of this group on a sphere. The current article answers this problem for a family of finite groups including perfect groups and nilpotent Oliver groups. We obtain the answer as an application of a new deleting and inserting theorem which is formulated to delete (or insert) fixed-point sets from (or to) disks with smooth actions of finite groups. One of the keys to the proof is an equivariant interpretation of the surgery theory of S. E. Cappell and J. L. Shaneson, for obtaining homology equivalences.

Rigidity of Hamiltonian Actions

This paper studies the following question: Given an ω′-symplectic action of a Lie group on a manifoldMwhich coincides, as a smooth action, with a Hamiltonian ω-action, when is this action a Hamiltonian ω′-action? Using a result of Morse-Bott theory presented in Section 2, we show in Section 3 of this paper that such an action is in fact a Hamiltonian ω′-action, provided thatM is compact and that the Lie group is compact and connected. This result was first proved by Lalonde-McDuff-Polterovich in 1999 as a consequence of a more general theory that made use of hard geometric analysis. In this paper, we prove it using classical methods only.

LIFTS OF SMOOTH GROUP ACTIONS TO LINE BUNDLES

Let X be a compact manifold with a smooth action of a compact connected Lie group G. Let L → X be a complex line bundle. Using the Cartan complex for equivariant cohomology, we give a new proof of a theorem of Hattori and Yoshida which says that the action of G lifts to L if and only if the first Chern class c1(L) of L can be lifted to an integral equivariant cohomology class in H2G(X; ℤ), and that the different lifts of the action are classified by the lifts of c1(L) to H2G(X; ℤ). As a corollary of our method of proof, we prove that, if the action is Hamiltonian and ∇ is a connection on L which is unitary for some metric on L, and which has a G-invariant curvature, then there is a lift of the action to a certain power Ld (where d is independent of L) which leaves fixed the induced metric on Ld and the connection ∇[otimes ]d. This generalises to symplectic geometry a well-known result in geometric invariant theory.