{
  "aliases": null,
  "backlinks": null,
  "body": "\n## Definition\n\nLet $(M, \\xi)$ be a [[contact manifold|HBQ8BZ7XB5]] of dimension $2n + 1$.\nA *Legendrian submanifold* of $(M, \\xi)$ is a submanifold $L \\subset M$ of dimension $n$ such that $T_x L \\subset \\xi_x$ for every $x \\in L$.\nA *Legendrian knot* is a Legendrian submanifold of a contact $3$-manifold that is diffeomorphic to a circle.\n\n## Remarks\n\nIf $\\xi = \\ker \\alpha$, the condition is that $\\alpha$ restricts to zero on $L$.\nThen $d\\alpha$ also restricts to zero on $L$, so each $T_x L$ is an isotropic subspace of the symplectic vector space $(\\xi_x, d\\alpha)$, of dimension $2n$.\nHence a submanifold tangent to $\\xi$ has dimension at most $n$, and Legendrian submanifolds are the tangent submanifolds of maximal dimension.\n\nExample: in $\\R^3$ with $\\alpha = dz - y\\,dx$, the $x$-axis $\\set{y = z = 0}$ is Legendrian, since along it $dz = 0$ and $y = 0$.\nMore generally, for a smooth $f \\colon \\R \\to \\R$, the curve $\\set{(x, f'(x), f(x))}$ is Legendrian, since $dz - y\\,dx = f'(x)\\,dx - f'(x)\\,dx = 0$ on it.\n\nNon-example: the $z$-axis in the same space is not Legendrian, since $\\alpha(\\partial_z) = 1 \\ne 0$.\n",
  "commit": "efe85cee8dbc57d85bedbacfb97b99d1b7bee843",
  "front": {
    "defines": "Q2DMSTWZYZ",
    "kind": "definition",
    "msc": [
      "53D10",
      "53D12"
    ],
    "name": "Legendrian submanifold",
    "sources": [
      {
        "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contact_geometry"
      }
    ],
    "tag": "RTAVY44P4Z",
    "uses": [
      "HBQ8BZ7XB5"
    ]
  },
  "kind": "definition",
  "link": "https://math2.tamnd.com/node/RTAVY44P4Z/",
  "links": [
    {
      "field": "defines",
      "target": "Q2DMSTWZYZ"
    },
    {
      "field": "uses",
      "target": "HBQ8BZ7XB5"
    }
  ],
  "markdown": "https://math2.tamnd.com/node/RTAVY44P4Z.md",
  "msc": [
    "53D10",
    "53D12"
  ],
  "name": "Legendrian submanifold",
  "prov": null,
  "role": "",
  "source": "https://github.com/tamnd/math2/blob/main/nodes/RTA/RTAVY44P4Z.md",
  "status": null,
  "tag": "RTAVY44P4Z",
  "uri": "m2://RTAVY44P4Z",
  "url": "https://math2.tamnd.com/wiki/legendrian-submanifold-definition/",
  "writing": {
    "tag": "RTAVY44P4Z",
    "kind": "definition",
    "level": "W0",
    "next": [
      {
        "what": "an inventory row",
        "note": "the row of the inventory that the node accounts for",
        "have": 0,
        "want": 1
      },
      {
        "what": "a source with a locator",
        "have": 0,
        "want": 1
      }
    ]
  }
}
