Generating functions in $\mathbb{R}^{2n}$ and the Hatcher–Waldhausen map

Abstract In this paper, we construct a generating function quadratic at infinity for any exact Lagrangian in $\mathbb{R}^{2n}$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>R</mml:mi> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:msup> </mml:math> that equals $\mathbb{R}^{n}$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>R</mml:mi> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> </mml:msup> </mml:math> outside a compact set. Such a Lagrangian may be viewed as a Lagrangian filling of the standard Legendrian unknot $S^{n-1}$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>S</mml:mi> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msup> </mml:math> in $D^{2n}$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>D</mml:mi> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:msup> </mml:math> . Generating functions of the type we construct are related to the space $\mathcal{M}_{\infty }$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>M</mml:mi> <mml:mi>∞</mml:mi> </mml:msub> </mml:math> considered by Eliashberg and Gromov. We also show that $\mathcal{M}_{\infty }$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>M</mml:mi> <mml:mi>∞</mml:mi> </mml:msub> </mml:math> is the homotopy fiber of the so-called Hatcher–Waldhausen map. This further relates the study of exact Lagrangians (and Legendrians) to algebraic K-theory of spaces. Using this and Bökstedt’s result that the Hatcher–Waldhausen map is a rational homotopy equivalence, we prove that the stable Lagrangian Gauss map (relative to the boundary) of the Lagrangian is null-homotopic.