Lefschetz fixed-point theorem

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In mathematics, the Lefschetz fixed-point theorem is a formula that counts the number of fixed points of a continuous mapping from a compact topological space X to itself by means of traces of the induced mappings on the homology groups of X. It is named after Solomon Lefschetz, who first stated it in 1926.

The counting is subject to an imputed multiplicity at a fixed point called the fixed point index. A weak version of the theorem is enough to show that a mapping without any fixed point must have rather special topological properties (like a rotation of a circle).

For a formal statement, let

f: X \rightarrow X\,

be a continuous map from a compact triangulable space X to itself. A point x of X is a fixed point of f if f(x) = x. Define the Lefschetz number Λf of f by

\Lambda_f:=\sum_{k\geq 0}(-1)^k\mathrm{Tr}(f_*|H_k(X,\mathbb{Q})),

the alternating (finite) sum of the matrix traces of the linear maps induced by f on the Hk(X,Q), the singular homology of X with rational coefficients.

A simple version of the Lefschetz fixed-point theorem states: if

\Lambda_f \neq 0\,

then f has at least one fixed point.

In fact, since the Lefschetz number has been defined at the homology level, our conclusion can be extended to say that any map homotopic to f has a fixed point as well.

Note however that the converse is not true in general: Λf may be zero even if f has fixed points.

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[edit] Relation to the Euler characteristic

The Lefschetz number of the identity map on a finite CW complex can be easily computed by realizing that each f * can be thought of as an identity matrix, and so each trace term is simply the dimension of the appropriate homology group. Thus the Lefschetz number of the identity map is equal to the alternating sum of the Betti numbers of the space. A clever telescoping summation argument (see Spanier, Algebraic Topology) shows that the alternating sum of the Betti numbers is equal to an alternating sum of the dimensions of the chain groups, which is the Euler characteristic. Thus we have

Λid = χ(X)

[edit] Relation to the Brouwer fixed point theorem

The Lefschetz fixed point theorem generalizes the Brouwer fixed point theorem, which states that every continuous map from the n-dimensional closed unit disk Dn to Dn must have at least one fixed point.

This can be seen as follows: Dn is compact and triangulable, all its homology groups except H0 are 0, and every continuous map f : Dn → Dn induces a non-zero homomorphism f* : H0(Dn, Q) → H0(Dn, Q); all this together implies that Λf is non-zero for any continuous map f : Dn → Dn.

[edit] Historical context

Lefschetz presented his fixed point theorem in [Lefschetz 1926]. Lefschetz's focus was not on fixed points of mappings, but rather on what are now called coincidence points of mappings.

Given two maps f and g from a manifold X to a manifold Y, the Lefschetz coincidence number of f and g is defined as

\Lambda_{f,g} = \sum (-1)^k \mathrm{Tr}( D_X \circ g^* \circ D_Y^{-1} \circ f_*),

where f∗ is as above, g∗ is the mapping induced by g on the cohomology groups with rational number coefficients, and DX and DY are the Poincaré duality isomorphisms for X and Y, respectively.

Lefschetz proves that if the coincidence number is nonzero, then f and g have a coincidence point. He notes in his paper that letting X = Y and letting g be the identity map gives a simpler result, which we now know as the fixed point theorem.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Solomon Lefschetz (1926). "Intersections and transformations of complexes and manifolds". Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 28: 1-49.  jstor
  • Solomon Lefschetz (1937). "On the fixed point formula". Ann. of Math.(2) 38: 819-822. 
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