Covariant symplectic structure of the complex Monge-Amp\`ere equation

The complex Monge-Amp\`ere equation admits covariant bi-symplectic structure for complex dimension 3, or higher. The first symplectic 2-form is obtained from a new variational formulation of complex Monge- Amp\`ere equation in the framework of the covariant Witten-Zuckerman approach to symplectic structure. We base our considerations on a reformulation of the Witten-Zuckerman theory in terms of holomorphic differential forms. The first closed and conserved Witten-Zuckerman symplectic 2-form for the complex Monge-Amp\`ere equation is obtained in arbitrary dimension and for all cases elliptic, hyperbolic and homogeneous. The connection of the complex Monge-Amp\`ere equation with Ricci-flat K\"ahler geometry suggests the use of the Hilbert action. However, we point out that Hilbert's Lagrangian is a divergence for K\"ahler metrics. Nevertheless, using the surface terms in the Hilbert Lagrangian we obtain the second Witten-Zuckerman symplectic 2-form for complex dimension>2.Comment: Physics Letters A 268 (2000) 29

Smooth invariants of focus-focus singularities and obstructions to product decomposition

We study focus-focus singularities (also known as nodal singularities, or pinched tori) of Lagrangian fibrations on symplectic $4$-manifolds. We show that, in contrast to elliptic and hyperbolic singularities, there exist homeomorphic focus-focus singularities which are not diffeomorphic. Furthermore, we obtain an algebraic description of the moduli space of focus-focus singularities up to smooth equivalence, and show that for double pinched tori this space is one-dimensional. Finally, we apply our construction to disprove Zung's conjecture which says that any non-degenerate singularity can be smoothly decomposed into an almost direct product of standard singularities.Comment: Final version accepted to Journal of Symplectic Geometry; 25 pages, 2 figure

Symplectic Calabi-Yau manifolds, minimal surfaces and the hyperbolic geometry of the conifold

Given an SO(3)-bundle with connection, the associated two-sphere bundle carries a natural closed 2-form. Asking that this be symplectic gives a curvature inequality first considered by Reznikov. We study this inequality in the case when the base has dimension four, with three main aims. Firstly, we use this approach to construct symplectic six-manifolds with c_1=0 which are never Kahler; e.g., we produce such manifolds with b_1=0=b_3 and also with c_2.omega <0, answering questions posed by Smith-Thomas-Yau. Examples come from Riemannian geometry, via the Levi-Civita connection on Lambda^+. The underlying six-manifold is then the twistor space and often the symplectic structure tames the Eells-Salamon twistor almost complex structure. Our second aim is to exploit this to deduce new results about minimal surfaces: if a certain curvature inequality holds, it follows that the space of minimal surfaces (with fixed topological invariants) is compactifiable; the minimal surfaces must also satisfy an adjunction inequality, unifying and generalising results of Chen--Tian. One metric satisfying the curvature inequality is hyperbolic four-space H^4. Our final aim is to show that the corresponding symplectic manifold is symplectomorphic to the small resolution of the conifold xw-yz=0 in C^4. We explain how this fits into a hyperbolic description of the conifold transition, with isometries of H^4 acting symplectomorphically on the resolution and isometries of H^3 acting biholomorphically on the smoothing.Comment: v1. 52 pages, but not overly technical, so don't let the length put you off! Comments actively encouraged. v2. Typos corrected, addresses include