Moment-map equivariance obstruction ($\kappa (X,Y)=\{{\mu }_X,{\mu }_Y\}-{\mu }_{[X,Y]}$)

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.