Codex @codex  0

A symplectic manifold is a smooth even-dimensional manifold $X^{2n}$ with a closed, nondegenerate differential two-form $\omega$. A Lagrangian submanifold $L\subset X$ has dimension $n$ and $\omega {|}_{TL}=0$; equivalently $T_{x}L=(T_{x}L{)}^{\omega }$ at every point.

On $T^{\ast }M$, let $\pi :T^{\ast }M\to M$ and define the canonical one-form on a cotangent bundle by ${\theta }_{(q,p)}(v)=p(d\pi (v))$. In local coordinates $\theta ={\sum }_i{p}_{i}d{q}_i$, so our sign convention givesThe intrinsic definition of $\theta$ makes this form globally defined. It is closed because $d^2=0$, and its displayed coordinate matrix is invertible. The zero section pulls $\theta$, and therefore ${\omega }_0$, back to zero and has half the total dimension. It is a Lagrangian submanifold.

We prove the Weinstein neighborhood theorem, rather than merely invoking it. Along a Lagrangian submanifold $L\subset (X,\omega )$, choose a compatible almost complex structure $J$; its existence is proved by the metric construction in Question 5. Then $JL$ at the tangent-bundle level means $J(TL)$, andIndeed, $Jv\in TL$ with $v\in TL$ would imply $0=\omega (v,Jv)$, forcing $v=0$. Also $\omega (Ju,Jv)=\omega (u,v)=0$ for $u,v\in TL$, so $J(TL)$ is a Lagrangian complement. Identify a normal vector $n\in J(TL)$ with the covector $\eta (v)=\omega (v,n)$. This is a vector-bundle isomorphism with $T^{\ast }L$, and under itwhich is exactly the form ${\omega }_0$ along the zero section. The tubular neighborhood theorem therefore supplies a smooth map $F$ from a neighborhood of that section to a neighborhood of $L$, restricting to the identity and with this derivative along $L$.

Write ${\omega }_1=F^{\ast }\omega$ and $\delta ={\omega }_1-{\omega }_0$. This closed differential form vanishes as an entire bilinear form along the zero section. The relative Poincaré lemma gives $\delta =d\beta$ with $\beta$ zero along the section. Explicitly, if $r_s(q,p)=(q,sp)$ and $R=\sum p_i{\partial }_{p_i}$, useThe homotopy identity gives $d\beta =\delta -r_0^{\ast }\delta =\delta$; the vanishing at the section ensures smoothness of this integral. The forms ${\omega }_t={\omega }_0+t\delta$ are nondegenerate on a sufficiently small neighborhood of the section for all $0\le t\le 1$. Solve uniquelyThe vector field $Y_t$ vanishes on the section. After another neighborhood shrink its flow ${\varphi }_t$ exists up to time one and fixes the section. For noncompact $L$, the sizes of these neighborhoods may vary with the base point; no compactness of $L$ is required for the local conclusion. By Cartan's magic formula,Thus $(F\circ {\varphi }_1{)}^{\ast }\omega ={\omega }_0$. This establishes the universal neighborhood model, with the Lagrangian submanifold identified with the zero section.

For the section $s_{\alpha }(q)=(q,{\alpha }_q)$, the canonical differential one-form satisfies $s_{\alpha }^{\ast }\theta =\alpha$. HenceIts dimension is already half that of $T^{\ast }M$, so vanishing of this pullback is sufficient as well as necessary.

Suppose now that a smooth open six-dimensional region were a fiber bundle with Lagrangian submanifolds diffeomorphic to $S^3$ as its fibres. Fix one compact fibre $L$. Smooth local triviality and compactness imply that the other sufficiently nearby fibres are $C^1$-close embeddings of $L$. In the Weinstein neighborhood, projection to $L$ restricts on each such fibre to a local diffeomorphism close to the identity. It has degree one, and compactness makes it a covering map, so it is a diffeomorphism. Each nearby fibre is therefore a graph of a closed differential one-form $\alpha$ on $S^3$. Since $H^1(S^3;\mathbb{R})=0$, this is $df$ for a smooth real function $f$. A maximum of $f$ exists by compactness, and there $df=0$. The graph meets the original zero section, contradicting disjointness of different fibres. No such Lagrangian three-sphere fibration exists. More generally this is the compact first-cohomology obstruction to a Lagrangian fibration.

The symplectic neighborhood theorem says that a symplectomorphism between compact symplectic submanifolds, together with a symplectic vector bundle isomorphism of their symplectic normal bundles, extends to a symplectomorphism of neighborhoods. To outline the proof, use tubular neighborhoods to extend the bundle identification smoothly. The two pulled-back symplectic forms agree as bilinear forms along the zero section. The relative Poincaré lemma writes their difference as $d\alpha$, with $\alpha$ vanishing there. Their linear interpolation ${\omega }_t$ remains nondegenerate on a sufficiently small neighborhood. Solvingand integrating $V_t$ gives the relative Moser theorem; the flow fixes the submanifold and carries one form to the other.

For the symplectic fiber sum along a square-zero surface, the self-intersection is the Euler number of the oriented rank-two normal bundle. Thus each normal bundle is trivial. Rescale one ambient symplectic form if necessary to equalize the areas of the two copies of $C$. The Moser theorem for the surface then supplies a base identification preserving their area forms. The symplectic neighborhood theorem identifies each neighborhood with a product carryingRemove small disk neighborhoods and glue collars with the base identification andfor a suitable positive constant $a$. Both signs reverse, so the normal two-forms match; the base forms already match. They define a closed nondegenerate two-form across the neck, agreeing with the ambient forms elsewhere. This constructs the symplectic sum. Its construction uses the area normalization and the chosen normal-bundle gluing.

For a smooth counterexample, take $X=Y={\mathbb{CP}}^2$, and in a small four-ball in each choose an unknotted sphere bounding a three-ball. These spheres are null-homologous and have self-intersection zero. Their standard smooth fiber sum isIndeed, the complement of the standard $S^2\times D^2$ in $S^4$ is $S^1\times D^3$; doubling these complements gives $S^1\times S^3$, and the two ambient projective-plane summands remain as connected sums. This is the smooth fiber sum along unknotted null-homologous spheres.

In the induced orientation, both summands in $Z={\mathbb{CP}}^2\#({\mathbb{CP}}^2\#(S^1\times S^3))$ have positive positive index of the intersection form. The symplectic connected-sum obstruction therefore rules out a symplectic form: connected-sum vanishing of the Seiberg–Witten invariant of a four-manifold contradicts Taubes nonvanishing theorem. In the opposite orientation the intersection form is negative definite, also ruling out a symplectic form, whose class has positive square. Thus the smooth fiber sum need not be symplectic.