Rigidity of pseudo-isotropic immersions (Q1029476)

Let \(N_s^n\) and \(M_v^m\) be pseudo-Riemannian manifolds of dimension \(n\), \(m\) and index \(s\), \(v\), respectively. An isometric immersion \(\phi: N^n_s \rightarrow\mathbb R_v^{n+d}\) is called pseudo-isotropic at \(p\in N^n\) if \((h(u,u), h(u,u))= \lambda(p)\in R\) does not depend on the choice of the unit tangent vector \(u\in\{u\in T_{p}N^n_s: \langle u,u\rangle =\pm 1\}\) and \(\phi\) is said to be pseudo-isotropic if \(\phi\) is pseudo-isotropic at each point of \(N^n_s\). A pseudo-Riemannian manifold \(N^n_s\) is said to be intrinsically isotropic if, given \(p\in N^n_s\) and a number \(r\), the subgroup of isometries preserving \(p\) is transitive on the set of all nonzero tangent vector \(v\) at \(p\) for which \(g(v,v)= r\). If, moreover, \(N^n_s\) is isometrically immersed into a pseudo-Riemannian manifold \(M^{n+d}_v\) and these isometries come from rigid motions of \(M^{n+d}_v\), then the submanifold \(N^n_s\) is called extrinsically isotropic. Let \(\ell\) be the space of isometric immersions \(\phi: N_s^n\rightarrow M_v^m\), and let us denote by \(\ell({\mathcal P})\) the class of these immersions which satisfy a property \({\mathcal P}\). The class \(\ell({\mathcal P})\) is said to be rigid if any two immersions \(\phi,\phi'\in\ell({\mathcal P})\) are congruent, that is, there exists an isometry \(A\) of \(M_v^m\) such that \(A\circ\phi= \phi'\). The aim of this paper is to look more closely at the notion of pseudo-isotropy and then to study the rigidity of this class of immersion into the pseudo-Euclidean space. A characterization of the pseudo-isotropy condition by using tangent vectors of any causal character is obtained. Then, rigidity theorems for pseudo-isotropic immersions are proved, and in particular, some well known results for the Riemannian case arise. It is proved that an extrinsically isotropic submanifold is intrinsically isotropic as a manifold, and pseudo-isotropic. And under some additional conditions the inverse statement is proved. Finally, special attention is paid to the case of codimension two Lorentz surfaces.