The Gromov width of complex Grassmannians

We show that the Gromov width of the Grassmannian of complex k-planes in C^n is equal to one when the symplectic form is normalized so that it generates the integral cohomology in degree 2. We deduce the lower bound from more general results. For example, if a compact manifold N with an integral symplectic form omega admits a Hamiltonian circle action with a fixed point p such that all the isotropy weights at p are equal to one, then the Gromov width of (N,omega) is at least one. We use holomorphic techniques to prove the upper bound.Comment: Published by Algebraic and Geometric Topology at http://www.maths.warwick.ac.uk/agt/AGTVol5/agt-5-38.abs.htm

Relative Topological Integrals and Relative Cheeger-Simons Differential Characters

Topological integrals appear frequently in Lagrangian field theories. On manifolds without boundary, they can be treated in the framework of (absolute) (co)homology using the formalism of Cheeger--Simons differential characters. String and D--brane theory involve field theoretic models on worldvolumes with boundary. On manifolds with boundary, the proper treatment of topological integrals requires a generalization of the usual differential topological set up and leads naturally to relative (co)homology and relative Cheeger--Simons differential characters. In this paper, we present a construction of relative Cheeger--Simons differential characters which is computable in principle and which contains the ordinary Cheeger--Simons differential characters as a particular case.Comment: 49 pages, Plain TeX, no figures, requires AMS font files AMSSYM.DEF and amssym.tex; final versio

Koszul Theorem for S-Lie coalgebras

For a symmetry braid S-Lie coalgebras, as a dual object to algebras introduced by Gurevich, are considered. For an Young antisymmetrizer an S-exterior algebra is introduced. From this differential point of view S-Lie coalgebras are investigated. The dual Koszul theorem in this case is proved.Comment: 8 pages, AMSLaTe

Linear Poisson structures on R^4

We classify all of the 4-dimensional linear Poisson structures of which the corresponding Lie algebras can be considered as the extension by a derivation of 3-dimensional unimodular Lie algebras. The affine Poisson structures on R^3 are totally classified.Comment: 14 pages, no figur

Extending Johnson's and Morita's homomorphisms to the mapping class group

We extend certain homomorphisms defined on the higher Torelli subgroups of the mapping class group to crossed homomorphisms defined on the entire mapping class group. In particular, for every $k\geq 2$, we construct a crossed homomorphism $\epsilon_k$ which extends Morita's homomorphism $\tilde \tau_k$ to the entire mapping class group. From this crossed homomorphism we also obtain a crossed homomorphism extending the $k$th Johnson homomorphism $\tau_k$ to the mapping class group. D. Johnson and S. Morita obtained their respective homomorphisms by considering the action of the mapping class group on the nilpotent truncations of the surface group; our approach is to mimic Morita's construction topologically by using nilmanifolds associated to these truncations. This allows us to take the ranges of these crossed homomorphisms to be certain finite-dimensional real vector spaces associated to these nilmanifolds.Comment: 32 pages; cleaned up and minor corrections to proofs; updated to agree with version published by Alg. & Geom. Top at: http://msp.warwick.ac.uk/agt/2007/07/p050.xhtm

Triangulation of the map of a GG-manifold to its orbit space

Let $G$ be a Lie group and $M$ a smooth proper $G$-manifold. Let $pi:Mto M/G$ denote the natural map to the orbit space. Then there exist a PL manifold $P$, a polyhedron $L$ and homeomorphisms $tau:Pto M$ and $\sigma:M/Gto L$ such that \sigma\circpi\circ\tau is PL. If $M$ and the $G$-action are of analytic class, we can choose subanalytic $\tau$ and then unique $P$ and $L$

On the nature of the Virasoro algebra

The multiplication in the Virasoro algebra $$[e_p, e_q] = (p - q) e_{p+q} + \theta \left(p^3 - p\right) \delta_{p + q}, \qquad p, q \in {\mathbf Z},$$ $$[\theta, e_p] = 0,$$ comes from the commutator $[e_p, e_q] = e_p * e_q - e_q * e_p$ in a quasiassociative algebra with the multiplication \renewcommand{\theequation}{$*$} \be \ba{l} \ds e_p * e_q = - {q (1 + \epsilon q) \over 1 + \epsilon (p + q)} e_{p+q} + {1 \over 2} \theta \left[p^3 - p + \left(\epsilon - \epsilon^{-1} \right) p^2 \right] \delta^0_{p+q}, \vspace{3mm}\\ \ds e_p * \theta = \theta* e_p = 0. \ea \ee The multiplication in a quasiassociative algebra ${\cal R}$ satisfies the property \renewcommand{\theequation}{$**$} \be a * (b * c) - (a * b) * c = b * (a * c) - (b * a) * c, \qquad a, b, c \in {\cal R}. \ee This property is necessary and sufficient for the Lie algebra {\it Lie}$({\cal R})$ to have a phase space. The above formulae are put into a cohomological framework, with the relevant complex being different from the Hochschild one even when the relevant quasiassociative algebra ${\cal R}$ becomes associative. Formula $(*)$ above also has a differential-variational counterpart