370 J.E. MARSDEN, MECHANICS, DYNAMICS, AND SYMMETRY
A method that is more geometric in nature, is based on Montgomery's [1991b]
derivation of the phase formula for the rigid body and that for the polarization
phase shift. The general theory of this is found in Marsden, Montgomery and Ratiu
[1990]. Let MC C^3 be the manifold defined by setting the conserved quantities to
specific values (a level set of the momentum map). We will construct closed curves
in M in two pieces as follows.
The first portion c 0 is simply the dynamical trajectory in M joining two points
Po and P 1. It covers a closed curve in the reduced space. The invariants define the
reduction map W : C^3 ---+ JR^3 (the image is the three-wave surface) so that the
curve co projects onto a closed trajectory in the base space under W. (See Figure
2.13.)
: " dynamic trajectory
_,_....----r---
C1 __ __,,, M Co
Cz
phase P /\:
0 -
Figure 2.13. Curves used for the phase calculation.
In M we introduce three curves c 1 , c 2 , and c 3 that close the curve by
connecting the points P 1 and Po using the group actions: The curve c 1 goes
with the first S^1 action, etc. Then C1 u C2 closes the curve, as shown in the
figure, as do c1 U c3 and c2 U c3. Specifically, if Po = (q 1 ,q 2 ,q 3 ) and if P 1 =
(q1expi¢1,q2expi(¢1 +¢2),q3expi¢2), we let c 1 be the opposite (run in the op-
posite sense) of the curve
c~PP ( t) = ( q 1 exp it¢1, q2 exp it¢1, q3),
0 ::; t ::; 1, which is the action by t¢ 1 for the first group action and let c 2 be the
opposite of
c~PP(t) = (q 1 expi¢1, q2 expi(¢1 + t ¢2), q3 expit¢2)
which is the action by t¢2 for the second group action (These actions and the
corresponding conserved quantities were defined in the first lecture).
Let G be a canonical one form on C^3 , a scaling of the Poincare one form
defined by