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3.9 A Thomas–Yau type conjecture [03PT]

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3.9 A Thomas–Yau type conjecture

Finally we state our second main conjecture, about the programme of §3.2, which summarizes the discussion of §3.2–§3.7. We call it a ‘Thomas–Yau type conjecture’, as it aims to update the conjectures of Thomas and Yau [69, 70].

Our focus here is mostly on the unique long-time existence of immersed Lagrangian MCF with surgeries, although proving the conjecture would go some way to proving Conjecture 3.2 on Bridgeland stability conditions. To simplify the possible finite time singularities, we take LL generic in its Hamiltonian isotopy class. To minimize the singular Lagrangians to be included in Dbℱ(M)D^{b}{\mathbin{\mathscr{F}}}(M), we do not require (LTi,ETi,bTi)(L^{T_{i}},E^{T_{i}},b^{T_{i}}) or limT→∞(Lt,Et,bt)\lim_{T\rightarrow\infty}(L^{t},E^{t},b^{t}) to be objects in Dbℱ(M)D^{b}{\mathbin{\mathscr{F}}}(M).

Conjecture 3.34.

Let (M,J,g,Ω)(M,J,g,\Omega) be a Calabi–Yau mm-fold, either compact or suitably convex at infinity, and Dbℱ(M)D^{b}{\mathbin{\mathscr{F}}}(M) an enlarged version of the derived Fukaya category of Lagrangian branes in MM from [20], including classes of immersed or singular Lagrangians, depending on the dimension mm:

  • (i)

    When m=1,m=1, Dbℱ(M)D^{b}{\mathbin{\mathscr{F}}}(M) can be the usual derived Fukaya category of nonsingular, embedded Lagrangian branes.

  • (ii)

    When m⩾2,m\geqslant 2, Dbℱ(M)D^{b}{\mathbin{\mathscr{F}}}(M) must include immersed Lagrangians, as in Akaho and Joyce [2] and §2.6. For m=2,m=2, these are all of Dbℱ(M)D^{b}{\mathbin{\mathscr{F}}}(M).

  • (iii)

    When m⩾3,m\geqslant 3, Dbℱ(M)D^{b}{\mathbin{\mathscr{F}}}(M) must also include singular Lagrangians with stable special Lagrangian singularities, as in §3.6. When m=3,m=3, these include Lagrangians with isolated conical singularities in the sense of [32, 33, 34, 35, 36] modelled on the special Lagrangian T2T^{2}-cone from (2.4), and this may be the only kind of stable singularity when m=3m=3. When m⩾4,m\geqslant 4, stable singularities may be more complicated, and need not be isolated.

Let (L,E)(L,E) be a Lagrangian brane in MM with H​F∗HF^{*} unobstructed, and suppose LL is generic in its Hamiltonian isotopy class. Let bb be a bounding cochain for (L,E)(L,E). Then there is a unique family {(Lt,Et,bt):t∈[0,∞)}\bigl\{(L^{t},E^{t},b^{t}):t\in[0,\infty)\bigr\} satisfying:

  • (a)

    (L0,E0,b0)=(L,E,b)(L^{0},E^{0},b^{0})=(L,E,b).

  • (b)

    There is a finite series of singular times 0<T1<T2<⋯<TN0<T_{1}<T_{2}<\cdots<T_{N} such that if t∈[0,∞)∖{T1,…,TN}t\in[0,\infty)\setminus\{T_{1},\ldots,T_{N}\} then (Lt,Et,bt)(L^{t},E^{t},b^{t}) is an object in Dbℱ(M)D^{b}{\mathbin{\mathscr{F}}}(M) isomorphic to (L,E,b),(L,E,b), with LtL^{t} a (possibly immersed or singular) compact, graded Lagrangian in (M,ω),(M,\omega), with H​F∗HF^{*} unobstructed.

  • (c)

    The family {Lt:t∈[0,∞)∖{T1,…,TN}}\bigl\{L^{t}:t\in[0,\infty)\setminus\{T_{1},\ldots,T_{N}\}\bigr\} satisfies Lagrangian mean curvature flow, and {Et:t∈[0,∞)∖{T1,…,TN}}\bigl\{E^{t}:t\in[0,\infty)\setminus\{T_{1},\ldots,T_{N}\}\bigr\} is locally constant in tt. The bounding cochains btb^{t} also change by a kind of ‘parallel transport’ for t∈[0,∞)∖{T1,T2,…}t\in[0,\infty)\setminus\{T_{1},T_{2},\ldots\} as in §2.5–§2.6, to ensure that the isomorphism class of (Lt,Et,bt)(L^{t},E^{t},b^{t}) in Dbℱ(M)D^{b}{\mathbin{\mathscr{F}}}(M) remains constant.

  • (d)

    At each singular time T1,…,TN,T_{1},\ldots,T_{N}, the flow undergoes a surgery, which may involve a finite time singularity of Lagrangian MCF, and a change in the topology of LtL^{t}. The kinds of surgery allowed include ‘opening a neck’ as in §3.4 when m⩾1,m\geqslant 1, ‘neck pinches’ as in §3.5 when m⩾2,m\geqslant 2, transitions to and from Lagrangians with ‘stable special Lagrangian singularities’ as in §3.6 when m⩾3,m\geqslant 3, and ‘collapsing zero objects’ as in §3.7 for m⩾1m\geqslant 1 (the latter is excluded for almost calibrated Lagrangians).

    We do not require (LTi,ETi,bTi)(L^{T_{i}},E^{T_{i}},b^{T_{i}}) to be an object in Dbℱ(M),D^{b}{\mathbin{\mathscr{F}}}(M), as the singularities of LTiL^{T_{i}} may be too bad, and if so, bTib^{T_{i}} is meaningless.

  • (e)

    The family {Lt:t∈[0,∞)}\{L^{t}:t\in[0,\infty)\} is continuous as graded Lagrangian integral currents in MM in Geometric Measure Theory.

    In graded Lagrangian integral currents, we have limt→∞Lt=L1+⋯+Ln\lim_{t\rightarrow\infty}L^{t}=L_{1}+\cdots+L_{n} for some n⩾0,n\geqslant 0, where 0≠Lj0\neq L_{j} for j=1,…,nj=1,\ldots,n is a nonzero, compactly-supported, graded, special Lagrangian integral current with phase ei​π​ϕje^{i\pi\phi_{j}} and grading θLj=π​ϕj,\theta_{L_{j}}=\pi\phi_{j}, with ϕ1>⋯>ϕn\phi_{1}>\cdots>\phi_{n}.

    For the Bridgeland stability condition (Z,𝒫)(Z,{\mathbin{\cal P}}) on Dbℱ(M)D^{b}{\mathbin{\mathscr{F}}}(M) discussed in Conjecture 3.2, if n=1n=1 then (L,E,b)∈𝒫(ϕ1),(L,E,b)\in{\mathbin{\cal P}}(\phi_{1}), and otherwise (L,E,b)∉𝒫(ϕ)(L,E,b)\notin{\mathbin{\cal P}}(\phi) for any ϕ∈ℝ\phi\in{\mathbin{\mathbb{R}}}.

Remark 3.35.

(i) The most feasible case of the conjecture is that of Lagrangian MCF in dimension m=2m=2, starting from an almost calibrated Lagrangian LL generic in its Hamiltonian isotopy class.

(ii) Assuming the initial object (L,E,b)(L,E,b) is semistable or stable in the sense of Conjectures 3.2 and 3.5 means in part (e) that the limit limt→∞Lt=L1\lim_{t\rightarrow\infty}L^{t}=L_{1} is only one (singular) special Lagrangian, rather than a finite union L1∪⋯∪LnL_{1}\cup\cdots\cup L_{n} of special Lagrangians with different phases, but otherwise it does not simplify things: we still expect nontrivial finite time singularities, and surgeries.

(iii) It is an interesting question whether there are useful extra assumptions on LL which limit the kinds of singularities occurring at the singular times T1,T2,….T_{1},T_{2},\ldots. For example, if LL is generic in its Hamiltonian isotopy class then only singularities of ‘index zero’ appear, as in Remark 3.8(iii), and if LL is almost calibrated, then as in §3.7 ‘collapsing zero objects’ cannot happen. Thomas and Yau give conditions [70, (7.1) or (7.2)] preventing ‘neck pinches’ in §3.5 dividing LL into two pieces L1∐L2L_{1}\amalg L_{2} from happening, although I expect other singularities can.

There are some very special situations in which Lagrangian MCF is known to exist for all time without singularities, such as the Lagrangian TmT^{m}-graphs in T2​mT^{2m} studied by Smoczyk and Wang [68], or Lagrangian MCF starting from a small perturbation of a smooth special Lagrangian. But apart from these, I do not know of any useful, nontrivial conditions on LL under which I expect the flow to exist for all time without singularities, as hoped for in [70, Conj. 7.3].

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