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Jan Swoboda

Publications and source records attributed to Jan Swoboda.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

ALG gravitational instantons and Hitchin moduli spaces, I: Torelli parameters

This is the first of two papers which together prove that the $12$-parameter family of parabolic $SU(2)$-Hitchin moduli spaces on the four-punctured sphere are all ALG gravitational instantons of type D4, and hence are asymptotic to $(\mathbb{C} \times T^2_\tau)/\mathbb{Z}_2$ at infinity. The elliptic modulus $\tau$ is determined by the cross-ratio of the four points. In this first paper, we consider each Hitchin moduli space corresponding to an allowable set of parabolic data and compute its Torelli parameters. There is a $12$-parameter family of Hitchin moduli spaces corresponding to different parabolic data, and we show that these realize all possible allowable Torelli parameters. In the companion paper, we we will show there that all of the Hitchin moduli spaces studied here are indeed ALG of type $D_4$, and consequently that every ALG-$D_4$ gravitational instanton can be realized as a Hitchin moduli space. Altogether, this will give the first verification of any case of the Modularity Conjecture: that all ALG gravitational instantons with tangent cone $\mathbb{C}/\mathbb{Z}_2$ can be realized as Hitchin moduli spaces with their natural associated $L^2$ metrics.

math.DG↗
arXiv2021

Asymptotic Geometry of the Moduli Space of Parabolic $SL(2,\mathbb{C})$-Higgs Bundles

Given a generic stable strongly parabolic $SL(2,\mathbb{C})$-Higgs bundle $(\mathcal{E}, φ)$, we describe the family of harmonic metrics $h_t$ for the ray of Higgs bundles $(\mathcal{E}, t φ)$ for $t\gg0$ by perturbing from an explicitly constructed family of approximate solutions $h_t^{\mathrm{app}}$. We then describe the natural hyperKähler metric on $\mathcal{M}$ by comparing it to a simpler "semi-flat" hyperKähler metric. We prove that $g_{L^2} - g_{\mathrm{sf}} = O(\mathrm{e}^{-γt})$ along a generic ray, proving a version of Gaiotto-Moore-Neitzke's conjecture. Our results extend to weakly parabolic $SL(2,\mathbb{C})$-Higgs bundles as well. In the case of the four-puncture sphere, we describe the moduli space and metric more explicitly. In this case, we prove that the hyperkähler metric is ALG and show that the rate of exponential decay is the conjectured optimal one, $γ=4L$, where $L$ is the length of the shortest geodesic on the base curve measured in the singular flat metric $|\mathrm{det}\, φ|$.

math.DG↗
arXiv2021

Higgs bundles, harmonic maps, and pleated surfaces

This paper unites the gauge-theoretic and hyperbolic-geometric perspectives on the asymptotic geometry of the character variety of SL(2,C) representations of a surface group. Specifically, we find an asymptotic correspondence between the analytically defined limiting configuration of a sequence of solutions to the SU(2) self-duality equations on a closed Riemann surface constructed by Mazzeo-Swoboda-Weiss-Witt, and the geometric topological shear-bend parameters of equivariant pleated surfaces in hyperbolic three-space due to Bonahon and Thurston. The geometric link comes from the nonabelian Hodge correspondence and a study of high energy degenerations of harmonic maps. Our result has several applications. We prove: (1) the local invariance of the partial compactification of the moduli space of solutions to the self-duality equations by limiting configurations; (2) a refinement of the harmonic maps characterization of the Morgan-Shalen compactification of the character variety; and (3) a comparison between the family of complex projective structures defined by a quadratic differential and the realizations of the corresponding flat connections as Higgs bundles, as well as a determination of the asymptotic shear-bend cocycle of Thurston's pleated surface.

math.DG↗
arXiv2019

Asymptotic Geometry of the Hitchin Metric

We study the asymptotics of the natural $L^2$ metric on the Hitchin moduli space with group $G = \mathrm{SU}(2)$. Our main result, which addresses a detailed conjectural picture made by Gaiotto, Neitzke and Moore \cite{gmn13}, is that on the regular part of the Hitchin system, this metric is well-approximated by the semiflat metric from \cite{gmn13}. We prove that the asymptotic rate of convergence for gauged tangent vectors to the moduli space has a precise polynomial expansion, and hence that the the difference between the two sets of metric coefficients in a certain natural coordinate system also has polynomial decay. Very recent work by Dumas and Neitzke indicates that the convergence rate for the metric is exponential, at least in certain directions.

math.DG↗
arXiv2017

Sectional curvature asymptotics of the Higgs bundle moduli space

We determine the asymptotic behavior in the limit of large Higgs fields of the sectional curvatures of the natural $L^2$ hyperkähler metric $G_{L^2}$ of the moduli space $\mathcal M$ of rank-$2$ Higgs bundles on a Riemann surface $Σ$ away from the discriminant locus. It is shown that their leading order part is given by a sum of Dirac type contributions on $Σ$, for which we find explicit expressions.

math.DG↗
arXiv2016

The Hitchin fibration under degenerations to noded Riemann surfaces

In this note we study some analytic properties of the linearized self-duality equations on a family of smooth Riemann surfaces $Σ_R$ converging for $R\searrow0$ to a surface $Σ_0$ with a finite number of nodes. It is shown that the linearization along the fibres of the Hitchin fibration gives rise to a graph-continuous Fredholm family, the index of it being stable when passing to the limit. We also report on similarities and differences between properties of the Hitchin fibration in this degeneration and in the limit of large Higgs fields.

math.DG↗
arXiv2015

Morse Homology for the Yang-Mills Gradient Flow

We use the Yang-Mills gradient flow on the space of connections over a closed Riemann surface to construct a Morse-Bott chain complex. The chain groups are generated by Yang-Mills connections. The boundary operator is defined by counting the elements of appropriately defined moduli spaces of Yang-Mills gradient flow lines that converge asymptotically to Yang-Mills connections.

math.DG↗
arXiv2015

Spectral and Hodge theory of `Witt' incomplete cusp edge spaces

Incomplete cusp edges model the behavior of the Weil-Petersson metric on the compactified Riemann moduli space near the interior of a divisor. Assuming such a space is Witt, we construct a fundamental solution to the heat equation, and using a precise description of its asymptotic behavior at the singular set, we prove that the Hodge-Laplacian on differential forms is essentially self-adjoint, with discrete spectrum satisfying Weyl asymptotics. We go on to prove bounds on the growth of $L^2$-harmonic forms at the singular set and to prove a Hodge theorem, namely that the space of $L^2$-harmonic forms is naturally isomorphic to the middle-perversity intersection cohomology. Moreover, we develop an asymptotic expansion for the heat trace near $t = 0$.

math.AP↗
arXiv2015

Limiting configurations for solutions of Hitchin's equation

We review recent work on the compactification of the moduli space of Hitchin's self-duality equation. We study the degeneration behavior near the ends of this moduli space in a set of generic directions by showing how limiting configurations can be desingularized. Following ideas of Hitchin, we can relate the top boundary stratum of this space of limiting configurations to a Prym variety. A key rôle is played by the family of rotationally symmetric solutions to the self-duality equation on $\mathbb C$, which we discuss in detail here.

math.DG↗
arXiv2015

Asymptotics of the Weil-Petersson metric

We consider the Riemann moduli space $\mathcal M_γ$ of conformal structures on a compact surface of genus $γ>1$ together with its Weil-Petersson metric $g_{\mathrm{WP}}$. Our main result is that $g_{\mathrm{WP}}$ admits a complete polyhomogeneous expansion in powers of the lengths of the short geodesics up to the singular divisors of the Deligne-Mumford compactification of $\mathcal M_γ$.

math.DG↗
arXiv2014

Ends of the moduli space of Higgs bundles

We associate to each stable Higgs pair $(A_0,Φ_0)$ on a compact Riemann surface $X$ a singular limiting configuration $(A_\infty,Φ_\infty)$, assuming that $\det Φ$ has only simple zeroes. We then prove a desingularization theorem by constructing a family of solutions $(A_t,tΦ_t)$ to Hitchin's equations which converge to this limiting configuration as $t \to \infty$. This provides a new proof, via gluing methods, for elements in the ends of the Higgs bundle moduli space and identifies a dense open subset of the boundary of the compactification of this moduli space.

math.DG↗
arXiv2013

Elliptic Yang-Mills Flow Theory

We lay the foundations of a Morse homology on the space of connections on a principal $G$-bundle over a compact manifold $Y$, based on a newly defined gauge-invariant functional $\mathcal J$. While the critical points of $\mathcal J$ correspond to Yang-Mills connections on $P$, its $L^2$-gradient gives rise to a novel system of elliptic equations. This contrasts previous approaches to a study of the Yang-Mills functional via a parabolic gradient flow. We carry out the complete analytical details of our program in the case of a compact two-dimensional base manifold $Y$. We furthermore discuss its relation to the well-developed parabolic Morse homology of Riemannian surfaces. Finally, an application of our elliptic theory is given to three-dimensional product manifolds $Y=Σ\times S^1$.

math.DG↗
arXiv2012

The Yang-Mills Gradient Flow and Loop Spaces of Compact Lie Groups

We study the $L^2$ gradient flow of the Yang--Mills functional on the space of connection 1-forms on a principal $G$-bundle over the sphere $S^2$ from the perspective of Morse theory. The resulting Morse homology is compared to the heat flow homology of the space $ΩG$ of based loops in the compact Lie group $G$. An isomorphism between these two Morse homologies is obtained by coupling a perturbed version of the Yang--Mills gradient flow with the $L^2$ gradient flow of the classical action functional on loops. Our result gives a positive answer to a question due to Atiyah.

math.DG↗
arXiv2012

Coisotropic Displacement and Small Subsets of a Symplectic Manifold

We prove a coisotropic intersection result and deduce the following: 1. Lower bounds on the displacement energy of a subset of a symplectic manifold, in particular a sharp stable energy-Gromov-width inequality. 2. A stable non-squeezing result for neighborhoods of products of unit spheres. 3. Existence of a "badly squeezable" set in $\mathbb{R}^{2n}$ of Hausdorff dimension at most $d$, for every $n\geq2$ and $d\geq n$. 4. Existence of a stably exotic symplectic form on $\mathbb{R}^{2n}$, for every $n\geq2$. 5. Non-triviality of a new capacity, which is based on the minimal symplectic area of a regular coisotropic submanifold of dimension $d$.

math.DG↗
arXiv2012

A Symplectically Non-Squeezable Small Set and the Regular Coisotropic Capacity

We prove that for $n\geq2$ there exists a compact subset $X$ of the closed ball in $R^{2n}$ of radius $\sqrt{2}$, such that $X$ has Hausdorff dimension $n$ and does not symplectically embed into the standard open symplectic cylinder. The second main result is a lower bound on the $d$-th regular coisotropic capacity, which is sharp up to a factor of 3. For an open subset of a geometrically bounded, aspherical symplectic manifold, this capacity is a lower bound on its displacement energy. The proofs of the results involve a certain Lagrangian submanifold of linear space, which was considered by M. Audin and L. Polterovich.

math.SG↗
arXiv2011

Hofer Geometry of a Subset of a Symplectic Manifold

To every closed subset $X$ of a symplectic manifold $(M,ω)$ we associate a natural group of Hamiltonian diffeomorphisms $Ham(X,ω)$. We equip this group with a semi-norm $\Vert\cdot\Vert^{X,ω}$, generalizing the Hofer norm. We discuss $Ham(X,ω)$ and $\Vert\cdot\Vert^{X,ω}$ if $X$ is a symplectic or isotropic submanifold. The main result involves the relative Hofer diameter of $X$ in $M$. Its first part states that for the unit sphere in $R^{2n}$ this diameter is bounded below by $\frac\pi2$, if $n\geq2$. Its second part states that for $n\geq2$ and $d\geq n+1$ there exists a compact set in $R^{2n}$ of Hausdorff dimension at most $d$, with relative Hofer diameter bounded below by $π/k(n,d)$, where $k(n,d)$ is an explicitly defined integer.

math.SG↗
arXiv2006

Time-optimal Control of Spin Systems

The paper discusses various aspects of time-optimal control of quantum spin systems, modelled as right-invariant systems on a compact Lie group G. The main results are the reduction of such a system to an equivalent system on a homogeneous space G/H, and the explicit determination of optimal trajectories on G/H in the case where G/H is a Riemannian symmetric space. These results are mainly obtained by using methods from Lie theory and geometric control.

quant-ph↗