The number of periodic points of surface symplectic diffeomorphisms

Abstract

We use symplectic tools to establish a smooth variant of Franks theorem for a closed orientable surface of positive genus $g$; it implies that a symplectic diffeomorphism isotopic to the identity with more than $2g-2$ fixed points, counted homologically, has infinitely many periodic points. Furthermore, we present examples of symplectic diffeomorphisms with a prescribed number of periodic points. In particular, we construct symplectic flows on surfaces possessing only one fixed point and no other periodic orbits.

v3: some typos fixed; changes in the proof of theorem 1.15