Symplectic vector field

ID: symplectic-vector-field

A vector field on a symplectic manifold is symplectic when its flow preserves the symplectic form. Infinitesimally this is . By Cartan's magic formula it is equivalent to . A Hamiltonian vector field has an exact contraction with the form, so is symplectic. On the standard two-dimensional torus, contracts to the closed but nonexact form , providing a symplectic non-Hamiltonian example.

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