Dualities of differential geometric invariants on cuspidal edges on flat fronts in the hyperbolic space and the De Sitter space (Q2310424): Difference between revisions

Alfred Enneper and Karl Weierstrass found a representation of minimal surfaces in \(\mathbb{R}^3\) using holomorphic data which consists of a pair of holomorphic/meromorphic functions. The holomorphic data is referred to as the Weierstrass data. In [Astérisque 154--155, 321--347 (1988; Zbl 0635.53047)], \textit{R. L. Bryant} found a similar Weierstrass representation of constant mean curvature \(1\) in hyperbolic \(3\)-space \(H^3\). Moreover, in [Math. Ann. 316, No. 3, 419--435 (2000; Zbl 1003.53047)], \textit{J. A. Gálvez} et al. found a similar representation of flat surfaces in \(H^3\) using Weierstrass data. In [Pac. J. Math. 216, No. 1, 149--175 (2004; Zbl 1078.53009)], \textit{M. Kokubu} et al. defined and studied flat fronts, which are singular flat surfaces in \(H^3\). In [Pac. J. Math. 221, No. 2, 303--351 (2005; Zbl 1110.53044)], \textit{M. Kokubu} et al. found criteria for cuspidal edges and swallowtails to occur in (singular) flat surfaces in terms of the Weierstrass data. In the paper under review, the authors continue the study of flat fronts, both in \(H^3\) and in de Sitter \(3\)-space \(dS^3\). There is a well-known duality between \(H^3\) and \(dS^3\), essentially since they are both pseudo-spheres in Minkowski space \(M^4\). Indeed, \(H^3\) (respectively \(dS^3\)) can be thought of as the pseudo-sphere of unit-length future pointing timelike (respectively unit-length spacelike) vectors in \(M^4\). Consider the submanifold \(F\) of \(H^3 \times dS^3\) consisting of pairs \((x,y)\) which are orthogonal with respect to the Minkowski inner product (of signature say \((-,+,+,+)\)). The \(5\)-dimensional manifold \(F\) can be thought of either as the unit tangent bundle of \(H^3\), or as the unit tangent bundle of \(dS^3\), whence the duality. The authors of this article express geometric invariants of cuspidal edges in terms of the Weierstrass data (Theorem 3.5). Moreover, they find relationships between curvatures and singularities of dual surfaces, sitting in \(H^3\) and \(dS^3\), respectively (Thm. 3.10).