# A note on generating functions

## A note on generating functions

Suppose $`A`$ is an affine symplectic space. There is an affine-invariant view of generating functions of symplectic transformations of $`A`$. Namely, let $`H`$ be a function on $`A`$. At any point $`x`$ we take the vector $`u_x`$ defined by $`d_xH=u_x\mathrm{}\omega `$ ($`\omega `$ is the symplectic form) and put it in $`A`$ so that $`x`$ lies in its middle. Then the map $`\mathrm{\Phi }_H`$ sending the tails of $`u_x`$’s to their heads is a symplectic transformation:

Notice that for infinitesimal $`H`$, this is the usual infinitesimal transformation generated by Hamiltonian $`H`$. The map $`H\mathrm{\Phi }_H`$ is a kind of Cayley transform: choosing an origin in $`A`$ (to turn it to a vector space) and restricting ourselves to quadratic forms, we get the usual Cayley transform $`𝔰𝔭Sp`$.

Symplectic transformations can be composed. The corresponding composition of generating functions is $`H(x)=H_1(x_1)+H_2(x_2)+\text{symplectic area of }\mathrm{}PQR`$:

Recall that the integral kernel of the Moyal product is $`K(x_1,x_2,x)=\mathrm{exp}(\sqrt{1}\times \text{symplectic area of }\mathrm{}PQR/\mathrm{})`$. We may notice that $`\mathrm{exp}(\sqrt{1}H/\mathrm{})`$ is the classical part of the Moyal product of $`\mathrm{exp}(\sqrt{1}H_1/\mathrm{})`$ and $`\mathrm{exp}(\sqrt{1}H_2/\mathrm{})`$.

Let us have a look where these claims come from. A symplectic transformation of $`A`$ is (more-or-less) the same as a Lagrangian submanifold of $`\overline{A}\times A`$ (the graph of the map). For each point $`xA`$ the symmetry with respect to $`x`$ is a symplectic map. Identity is also a symplectic map, so that we have many Lagrangian submanifolds of $`\overline{A}\times A`$:

In this way we have an isomorphism between $`\overline{A}\times A`$ and $`T^{}A`$. Explicitely (as one immediately sees from the picture), a pair $`(P,Q)\overline{A}\times A`$ corresponds to $`((P+Q)/2,(QP)\mathrm{}\omega )T^{}A`$. Here the vector-and-its-midpoint picture appears.

Correspondence between generating functions and symplectic transformations is clear now: $`dH`$ is a Lagrangian submanifold of $`T^{}A`$, and therefore of $`\overline{A}\times A`$. Let us also have a look where the composition law comes from. $`\overline{A}\times A`$ is a symplectic groupoid (the pair groupoid of $`A`$). The graph of its multiplication is a Lagrangian submanifold; using the identification of $`T^{}A`$ and $`\overline{A}\times A`$, it should be given by a closed 1-form on $`A\times A\times A`$; this 1-form is the differential of the function $`(x_1,x_2,x)\text{symplectic area of }\mathrm{}PQR`$. The composition of generating functions and its connection with Moyal product follows.

For the fun of it, let us make a similar construction, replacing $`A`$ by the sphere $`S^2`$ with the area 2-form. Again, symmetry with respect to a point is a symplectic map, therefore we locally have a similar identification between $`\overline{S^2}\times S^2`$ and $`T^{}S^2`$; more precisely, there is an isomorphism between the subset of covectors in $`T^{}S^2`$ of length less than 2 and $`\overline{S^2}\times S^2`$ with erased pairs of antipodal points. Explicitely, to a non-antipodal pair $`(P,Q)`$ we associate a point in $`TS^2`$ (and thus, via $`\omega `$, a point in $`T^{}S^2`$) as on the picture:

$`x`$ is the midpoint of the shorter geodesic arc $`PQ`$ and $`uT_xS^2`$ appears by its orthogonal projection. This picture can be derived from the famous theorem of Archimedes, claiming that certain map between cylinder and sphere is area-preserving.

As a result, we have a similar picture of generating functions: for a function $`H`$ on $`S^2`$ and any point $`x`$ we take the vector $`u_x`$ defined by $`d_xH=u_x\mathrm{}\omega `$, place it into the tangent plane so that $`x`$ is in its middle and project it into the sphere; $`\mathrm{\Phi }_H`$ maps $`P`$ to $`Q`$. Composition rule looks as before (only triangles are spherical now).

Generally, this picture works with no changes for arbitrary symmetric symplectic space $`M`$. Using the symmetries we locally identify $`\overline{M}\times M`$ with $`T^{}M`$. Multiplication in this pair groupoid is again given by the symplectic area of a surface bounded by the geodesic triangle $`PQR`$ with $`x_1,x_2,x`$ being the midpoints of its sides. The identification between $`\overline{M}\times M`$ and $`T^{}M`$ is via a projection of $`M`$ into $`T_xM`$, as in the case $`M=S^2`$: Up to coverings, we embed $`M`$ into an affine space $`A`$. For any $`xM`$, the symmetry with respect to $`x`$ will be extended to an involution $`\sigma _x`$ of $`A`$; we project $`M`$ to $`T_xM`$ in the direction of $`A^{\sigma _x}`$ (the subspace of $`A`$ fixed by $`\sigma _x`$). Namely, since $`M`$ is a symmetric space, it is (a covering of) $`G/G^\sigma `$, where $`G`$ is a Lie group and $`\sigma `$ is an involutory automorphism of $`G`$. Let $`𝔤=𝔤^\sigma 𝔭`$ be the decomposition of $`𝔤`$ to $`\pm 1`$ eigenspaces of $`d\sigma `$ (to make $`G/G^\sigma `$ into a symmetric symplectic space, one has to specify a $`G^\sigma `$-invariant symplectic form on $`𝔭`$). As a homogeneous symplectic space, $`M`$ can be embedded (up to coverings) into an affine space over $`𝔤^{}`$ via (non-equivariant) moment map. If $`xM`$ is fixed by $`G^\sigma `$, $`T_xM`$ is $`𝔭^{}`$ translated to $`x`$; we project $`M`$ to $`T_xM`$ in the direction of $`𝔤_{}^{\sigma }{}_{}{}^{}`$.

Pavol Ševera, I.H.É.S. (IPDE postdoc)

severa@ihes.fr