Symplectic geometry
Phase portrait of the Van der Pol oscillator S in the plane through integration:
4
3
2 A=
1
xdot
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3
x
Phase portrait of the Van der Pol oscillator, a one-dimensional
system. Phase space was the original object of study in symplectic
geometry.
Symplectic geometry is a branch of differential geome-
try and differential topology that studies symplectic man-
ifolds; that is, differentiable manifolds equipped with a
closed, nondegenerate 2-form. Symplectic geometry has
its origins in the Hamiltonian formulation of classical me-
chanics where the phase space of certain classical systems
takes on the structure of a symplectic manifold.[1]
1 Introduction
A symplectic geometry is defined on a smooth even-
dimensional space that is a differentiable manifold. On
this space is defined a geometric object, the symplectic
form, that allows for the measurement of sizes of two-
dimensional objects in the space. The symplectic form in
symplectic geometry plays a role analogous to that of the
metric tensor in Riemannian geometry. Where the metric
tensor measures lengths and angles, the symplectic form
measures areas.[2]
Symplectic geometry arose from the study of classical
mechanics and an example of a symplectic structure is
the motion of an object in one dimension. To specify the
trajectory of the object, one requires both the position
q and the momentum p, which form a point (p,q) in the
Euclidean plane ℝ2 . In this case, the symplectic form is
ω = dp ∧ dq
and is an area form that measures the area A of a region
∫
ω.
S
The area is important because as conservative dynamical
systems evolve in time, this area is invariant.[2]
Higher dimensional symplectic geometries are defined
analogously. A 2n-dimensional symplectic geometry is
formed of pairs of directions
4
((x1 , x2 ), (x3 , x4 ), . . . (x2n−1 , x2n ))
in a 2n-dimensional manifold along with a symplectic
form
ω = dx1 ∧ dx2 + dx3 ∧ dx4 + · · · + dx2n−1 ∧ dx2n .
This symplectic form yields the size of a 2n-dimensional
region V in the space as the sum of the areas of the pro-
jections of V onto each of the planes formed by the pairs
of directions[2]
∫ ∫ ∫ ∫
A= ω= dx1 ∧dx2 + dx3 ∧dx4 +· · ·+ dx2n−1 ∧dx2n .
V V V V
2 Comparison with Riemannian
geometry
Symplectic geometry has a number of similarities with
and differences from Riemannian geometry, which is
the study of differentiable manifolds equipped with non-
degenerate, symmetric 2-tensors (called metric tensors).
Unlike in the Riemannian case, symplectic manifolds
have no local invariants such as curvature. This is a con-
sequence of Darboux’s theorem which states that a neigh-
borhood of any point of a 2n-dimensional symplectic
manifold is isomorphic to the standard symplectic struc-
ture on an open set of ℝ2n . Another difference with Rie-
mannian geometry is that not every differentiable mani-
fold need admit a symplectic form; there are certain topo-
logical restrictions. For example, every symplectic man-
ifold is even-dimensional and orientable. Additionally, if
M is a closed symplectic manifold, then the 2nd de Rham
cohomology group H 2 (M) is nontrivial; this implies, for
1
2 7
example, that the only n-sphere that admits a symplectic
form is the 2-sphere. A parallel that one can draw be-
tween the two subjects is the analogy between geodesics
in Riemannian geometry and pseudoholomorphic curves
in symplectic geometry: Geodesics are curves of shortest
length (locally), while pseudoholomorphic curves are sur-
faces of minimal area. Both concepts play a fundamental
role in their respective disciplines.
3 Examples and structures
Every Kähler manifold is also a symplectic manifold.
Well into the 1970s, symplectic experts were unsure
whether any compact non-Kähler symplectic manifolds
existed, but since then many examples have been con-
structed (the first was due to William Thurston); in par-
ticular, Robert Gompf has shown that every finitely pre-
sented group occurs as the fundamental group of some
symplectic 4-manifold, in marked contrast with the Käh-
ler case.
Most symplectic manifolds, one can say, are not Käh-
ler; and so do not have an integrable complex structure
compatible with the symplectic form. Mikhail Gromov,
however, made the important observation that symplectic
manifolds do admit an abundance of compatible almost
complex structures, so that they satisfy all the axioms for a
Kähler manifold except the requirement that the transition
maps be holomorphic.
Gromov used the existence of almost complex struc-
tures on symplectic manifolds to develop a theory of
pseudoholomorphic curves, which has led to a number of
advancements in symplectic topology, including a class
of symplectic invariants now known as Gromov–Witten
invariants. These invariants also play a key role in string
theory.
4 Name
The name “complex group” formerly advocated by me
in allusion to line complexes, as these are defined by the
vanishing of antisymmetric bilinear forms, has become
more and more embarrassing through collision with the
word “complex” in the connotation of complex number.
I therefore propose to replace it by the corresponding
Greek adjective “symplectic.” Dickson calls the group
the “Abelian linear group” in homage to Abel who first
studied it.
Weyl (1939, p. 165)
Symplectic geometry is also called symplectic topology
although the latter is really a subfield concerned with im-
portant global questions in symplectic geometry.
The term “symplectic” is a calque of “complex”, in-
REFERENCES
troduced by Weyl (1939, footnote, p.165); previously,
the “symplectic group” had been called the “line com-
plex group”. Complex comes from the Latin com-
plexus, meaning “braided together” (co- + plexus), while
symplectic comes from the corresponding Greek sym-
plektikos (συμπλεκτικός); in both cases the suffix comes
from the Indo-European root *plek-.[3] This naming re-
flects the deep connections between complex and sym-
plectic structures.
5 See also
• Contact geometry
• Hamiltonian mechanics
• Geometric mechanics
• Moment map
• Poisson geometry
• Symplectic frame bundle
• Symplectic integration
• Symplectic manifold
6 Notes
[1] Hartnett, Kevin (February 9, 2017). “A Fight to Fix Ge-
ometry’s Foundations”. Quanta Magazine.
[2] McDuff, Dusa (2010), “What is Symplectic Geome-
try?" (PDF), in Hobbs, Catherine; Paycha, Sylvie, Euro-
pean Women in Mathematics – Proceedings of the 13th
General Meeting, World Scientific, pp. 33–51, ISBN
9789814277686, retrieved 5 October 2014
[3] The Symplectization of Science, Mark J. Gotay and James
A. Isenberg, p. 13.
7 References
• Abraham, Ralph; Marsden, Jerrold E. (1978).
Foundations of Mechanics. London: Benjamin-
Cummings. ISBN 0-8053-0102-X.
• McDuff, Dusa; Salamon, D. (1998). Introduction
to Symplectic Topology. Oxford University Press.
ISBN 0-19-850451-9.
• Fomenko, A. T. (1995). Symplectic Geometry (2nd
ed.). Gordon and Breach. ISBN 2-88124-901-9.
(An undergraduate level introduction.)
• de Gosson, Maurice A. (2006). Symplectic Geom-
etry and Quantum Mechanics. Basel: Birkhäuser
Verlag. ISBN 3-7643-7574-4.
 3

• Weinstein, Alan (1981). “Symplectic Geometry”

(PDF). Bulletin of the American Mathematical So-
ciety. 5 (1): 1–13.

• Weyl, Hermann (1997) [1939]. The Classical

Groups. Their Invariants and Representations
(Reprint ed.). Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-
691-05756-7. MR 0000255.

8 External links
• Hazewinkel, Michiel, ed. (2001), “Symplectic
structure”, Encyclopedia of Mathematics, Springer,
ISBN 978-1-55608-010-4
4 9 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

9 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

9.1 Text
• Symplectic geometry Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symplectic_geometry?oldid=791106784 Contributors: The Anome, Michael
Hardy, TakuyaMurata, Charles Matthews, Phys, Topbanana, Tea2min, Tosha, Giftlite, Fropuff, Everyking, Chris Howard, Bender235, Oleg
Alexandrov, Linas, Isnow, R.e.b., Srleffler, YurikBot, Encyclops, Archelon, Mgnbar, Sardanaphalus, SmackBot, RDBury, Mhss, Quiver,
Silly rabbit, Nbarth, CmdrObot, NormHardy, Kupirijo, Headbomb, VectorPosse, Y Angora, Policron, STBotD, Jevansen, Cuzkatzimhut,
JohnBlackburne, TXiKiBoT, Geometry guy, SieBot, LarRan, ClueBot, Wfdfr3234, 7&6=thirteen, Addbot, Lakpapak, Xqbot, Omni-
paedista, Tkuvho, Jonesey95, ZéroBot, Quondum, Cadoi, Mgvongoeden, Helpful Pixie Bot, Luigi.scorzato, Solomon7968, Jamontaldi,
Brad7777, Brirush, Mark viking, Dough34, KasparBot, Joeyamosjohns, Lepricavark and Anonymous: 20

9.2 Images
• File:Crystal_Clear_app_3d.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Crystal_Clear_app_3d.png License:
LGPL Contributors: All Crystal Clear icons were posted by the author as LGPL on kde-look; Original artist: Everaldo Coelho and
YellowIcon;
• File:Limitcycle.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Limitcycle.svg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors:
Own work Original artist: Gargan
• File:Wikiquote-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg License: Public domain
Contributors: Own work Original artist: Rei-artur
• File:Wiktionary-logo-v2.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Wiktionary-logo-v2.svg License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Contributors: Own work Original artist: Dan Polansky based on work currently attributed to Wikimedia Foundation but originally created
by Smurrayinchester

9.3 Content license

• Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0