Horizontal connection and horizontal mean curvature in Carnot groups (Q2508591)

The authors obtain a geometric interpretation of the horizontal mean curvature in Carnot groups. This is done by introducing a natural nonholonomic connection which is the projection of the natural Riemannian connection on the horizontal bundle. For this nonholonomic connection and intrinsic regular hypersurfaces they introduce the notions of the horizontal second fundamental form and the horizontal shape operator. The main result of the paper states that the horizontal mean curvature is the trace of the horizontal shape operator.