Lie group valued moment maps

Abstract

We develop a theory of “quasi”-Hamiltonian G-spaces for which the moment map takes values in the group G itself rather than in the dual of the Lie algebra. The theory includes counterparts of Hamiltonian reductions, the Guillemin-Sternberg symplectic cross-section theorem and of convexity properties of the moment map. As an application we obtain moduli spaces of flat connections on an oriented compact 2-manifold with boundary as quasi-Hamiltonian quotients of the space G2 × ⃛ × G2. © 1998 Journal of Differential Geometry. © 1998 Applied Probability Trust.