Hamiltonian group action

A Hamiltonian group action is a Lie group action on a symplectic manifold with an equivariant moment map $\mu :M\to {\mathfrak{g}}^{\ast }$. In the sign convention ${\iota }_{X_H}\omega =dH$, each component satisfies $d⟨\mu ,X⟩={\iota }_{X_M}\omega$, where $X_M$ is the fundamental vector field. The opposite Hamiltonian vector field convention reverses the sign.

A symplectic Lie group action is weakly Hamiltonian when every fundamental vector field is a Hamiltonian vector field. A Hamiltonian group action additionally supplies Hamiltonians as components of an equivariant moment map. Constants in the component Hamiltonians do not affect their vector fields, but the ability to choose them with the required equivariance is an additional global condition.

For a symplectic left Lie group action, use actual fundamental fields ${\xi }_P$ and ${\iota }_{X_f}\omega =df$. They satisfy $[{\xi }_P,{\eta }_P]=-[\xi ,\eta {]}_P$. Cartan's magic formula then gives ${\iota }_{[\xi ,\eta {]}_P}\omega =d[\omega ({\xi }_P,{\eta }_P)]$. Thus every commutator generator has a globally exact contraction. A semisimple Lie algebra is perfect, so every generator has a global Hamiltonian. The separate semisimple moment-map equivariance result removes the constant two-cocycle obstruction and gives an equivariant moment map for a connected group.

For a Hamiltonian group action, a regular value level preserved by a free proper group action has a smooth quotient. The restricted symplectic form descends to a symplectic form on that quotient when the kernel is exactly the orbit directions; this is symplectic reduction.

At a regular free circle group level of a moment map, the inverse image of a Lagrangian submanifold of the reduced space is a Lagrangian submanifold of the original space. Its restricted symplectic form is the pullback of the reduced form and hence vanishes. Its dimension is one more than that of the reduced Lagrangian, exactly half the ambient dimension. It is a circle bundle over the original Lagrangian.

For a planar cotangent bundle, rotation has moment map $\ell =x{p}_y-y{p}_x$. At $\ell \ne 0$ its level is regular and the circle action is free. Polar canonical coordinates give $\omega =dr\wedge d{p}_r+d\theta \wedge d\ell$. Fixing $\ell$ and quotienting $\theta$ leaves $T^{\ast }{\mathbb{R}}_{>0}$ with the displayed form. The unit-mass free Hamiltonian becomes $p_r^2/2+{\ell }^2/(2r^2)$.

For $H={\sum }_j(q_j^2+p_j^2)/2$ and $E>0$, the oscillator flow is a free circle action on the sphere of radius $\sqrt{2E}$. Its quotient is Complex projective space. For two modes, the reduced form in $w=z_2/z_1$ is $iEdw\wedge d\bar{w}/(1+|w{|}^2{)}^2$, of total area $2\pi E$. Reduction at zero energy is singular instead of a smooth quotient of the asserted dimension.

For a Hamiltonian group action, let $c$ be a regular value of the moment map fixed by the coadjoint action, and assume the action on ${\mu }^{-1}(c)$ is free and proper. The quotient is a symplectic manifold of dimension $\dim M-2\dim G$. Its unique reduced symplectic form is characterized by ${\pi }^{\ast }{\omega }_c={\iota }^{\ast }\omega$, where $\iota$ includes the level set and $\pi$ is the quotient projection. The kernel of the restricted two-form consists precisely of the orbit directions. More general noncentral levels use their stabilizer group; the stated central-level version suffices for circle group reduction.

Restriction to a Lie subgroup with Lie algebra inclusion $i:\mathfrak{h}\to \mathfrak{g}$ has moment map $i^{\ast }\mu$. The dual map $i^{\ast }$ composes with the original moment map.

A moment map assigns to each element of a Lie algebra a Hamiltonian function for its fundamental vector field, and is equivariant for the coadjoint action. For an abelian Lie group, constant shifts are allowed; the numerical scale also depends on the chosen Lie algebra generators and the normalization of the symplectic form.

On the canonical cotangent bundle $T^{\ast }{\mathbb{R}}^n$, $\omega =i\sum d{z}_j\wedge d{\bar{z}}_j$ and $H=z^{†}z$. The unitary group acts by $z\mapsto Uz$, preserving both. For a Hermitian $A$, the generator $-iA$ has Hamiltonian ${\mu }_A=z^{†}Az$. The Poisson bracket satisfies $\{{\mu }_A,{\mu }_B\}={\mu }_{-i[A,B]}$, with no central term. The central generator has moment map $H$; imaginary antisymmetric matrices give ordinary angular momentum, while real symmetric matrices give quadratic observables mixing position and momentum.

For a weakly Hamiltonian left Lie group action on a connected symplectic manifold, choose ${\iota }_{X_f}\omega =df$. Fundamental vector fields and Hamiltonian vector fields are both antihomomorphisms, so the displayed difference is constant. The Jacobi identity for the Poisson bracket makes it a two-cocycle. Changing ${\mu }_X$ by $b(X)$ changes the difference by $-b([X,Y])$. Thus its class in Lie algebra cohomology obstructs choosing an equivariant moment map. For a connected group, vanishing of this class gives infinitesimal and group equivariance.

Suppose a symplectic Lie group action on a connected symplectic manifold has global component Hamiltonians and a common fixed point $p_0$. Choose their constants linearly so ${\mu }_{\xi }(p_0)=0$. The difference $c(\xi ,\eta )=\{{\mu }_{\xi },{\mu }_{\eta }\}-{\mu }_{[\xi ,\eta ]}$ has zero Hamiltonian vector field because fundamental fields and Hamiltonian fields have compatible Lie-bracket conventions; it is therefore constant. At $p_0$, all fundamental fields vanish, so both terms in $c$ vanish. Thus $c=0$ everywhere and the Poisson brackets of the components reproduce the group Lie algebra. For a connected group this also yields coadjoint equivariance. A linear unitary action on a vector space has the origin as such a fixed point.

For a semisimple Lie algebra, its nondegenerate Killing form turns a two-cocycle into an operator $D$ through $B(DX,Y)=\kappa (X,Y)$. The cocycle identity makes $D$ a derivation. Choose $Z$ by $B(Z,X)=\mathrm{tr}(D\mathrm{ad}X)$. Using $[D,\mathrm{ad}X]=\mathrm{ad}(DX)$ and cyclicity of trace gives $B([Z,X],Y)=B(DX,Y)$, so $D=\mathrm{ad}Z$. Consequently $\kappa (X,Y)=B(Z,[X,Y])$ is a coboundary. This proves that component Hamiltonians can be normalized to a Lie algebra homomorphism.

For the symplectic form $\omega =idz\wedge d\bar{z}/(1+|z{|}^2{)}^2$, the circle group rotates $z$ by $e^{i\theta }$. Its real generator is $K=iz{\partial }_z-i\bar{z}{\partial }_{\bar{z}}$. The contraction is ${\iota }_K\omega =-dH$, so $H$ is a Hamiltonian function in this sign convention. In the other chart $w=1/z$, $H=1/(1+|w{|}^2)$, proving smoothness at infinity. Its image is $[0,1]$ with the endpoints at the fixed poles. The symplectic area is $2\pi$; rescaling to the round area $4\pi$ would double this moment function.