GT seminar: "Essential loops of Hamiltonian homeomorphisms"

Abstract: In 1987, Gromov and Eliashberg showed that if a sequence of diffeomorphisms preserving a symplectic form C⁰ converges to a diffeomorphism, the limit also preserves the symplectic form -- even though this is a C¹ condition. This result gave rise to the notion of symplectic homeomorphisms, i.e. elements of the C⁰-closure of the group of symplectomorphisms in that of homeomorphisms, and started the study of "continuous symplectic geometry".

In this talk, I will present recent progress in understanding the fundamental group of the C⁰-closure of the group of Hamiltonian diffeomorphisms in that of homeomorphisms. More precisely, I will explain a sufficient condition which ensures that certain essential loops of Hamiltonian diffeomorphisms remain essential when seen as "Hamiltonian homeomorphisms". I will illustrate this method (and its limits) on toric manifolds, namely complex projective spaces, rational products of 2-spheres, and rational 1-point blow-ups of CP².
 
Our condition is based on (explicit) computation of the spectral norm of loops of Hamiltonian diffeomorphisms which is of independent interest. For example, in the case of 1-point blow-ups of CP², I will show that the spectral norm exhibits a surprising behavior which heavily depends on the choice of the symplectic form. This is joint work with Vincent Humilière and Alexandre Jannaud.

This is a talk in our Geometry and Topology seminar series.