PSS Isomorphism
For a closed symplectic manifold , there is a canonical ring isomorphism between the quantum cohomology ring and the Hamiltonian Floer cohomology ring (both defined over the Novikov ring). The isomorphism is constructed by counting "spiked discs" — configurations interpolating between Morse flow lines and Floer cylinders.
Define by counting solutions to a mixed equation on the half-cylinder : for , the equation is the Floer equation ; for , it reduces to the gradient flow equation . The transition is achieved by a smooth interpolation.
The map is shown to be a chain map by analyzing the boundary of 1-dimensional moduli spaces. Invertibility follows by constructing a reverse map using the reversed spiked disc equation and showing and via chain homotopies.
For , the PSS isomorphism identifies the quantum product (in ) with the composition of Floer continuation maps, providing a Floer-theoretic interpretation of the quantum relation .
The PSS isomorphism enables: (1) computation of Floer homology via quantum cohomology; (2) construction of spectral invariants by filtering through the PSS map; (3) proof that the pair-of-pants product in Floer theory equals the quantum product. It is the bridge between the enumerative world of Gromov-Witten theory and the dynamical world of Hamiltonian Floer theory.