The differential geometry of webs (Q1059869)

This survey paper is a continuation of the survey paper by \textit{V. D. Belousov} and \textit{V. V. Ryzhkov} [Itogi Nauki Tekh., Ser. Algebra Topol. Geom. 10, 159--188 (1972; Zbl 0275.53005)] and its aim is to present results obtained especially in the Soviet Union in the last years in the geometry of webs. The study of the geometry of webs was initiated in the twenties by W. Blaschke's geometric school from Hamburg. The reader interested in the early results in this area can find them in the book by \textit{W. Blaschke} and \textit{G. Bol} [Geometrie der Gewebe (1938; Zbl 0020.06701)]. Research in the geometry of webs was continued intensively until today. In the last years this research mainly dealt with generalizations to the multi-(co)dimensional case. The differential geometric structures defined by webs on manifolds have many interesting properties related to some other structures studied in differential geometry and in other fields of mathematics (e.g. quasigroup theory, algebraic geometry, the geometric theory of differential equations, etc.). Some directions of research in the geometry of webs, mentioned but not considered in detail in the paper under review are exposed in the expository paper by \textit{S. S. Chern} [Bull. Am. Math. Soc., New Ser. 6, 1--8 (1982; Zbl 0483.53013)]. The bibliography of the paper under review (consisting of 107 items) could be improved essentially by many other references. Recently, the reviewer has seen a list made by V. V. Goldberg, consisting of 247 titles, about multicodimensional webs and locally differentiable quasigroups. Important contributions to the geometry of webs were done by the author and V. V. Goldberg in some joint works and by the author and V. V. Goldberg, separately, beginning with 1969. Many contributions by V. V. Goldberg are considered mainly in {\S} 1 and {\S} 2 of the paper under review. Some papers of V. V. Goldberg which are not cited in the paper under review are cited in the author's notes [Sov. Math., Dokl. 21, 707--709 (1980; Zbl 0479.53015)], ibid. 28, 507--509 (1983; Zbl 0547.53006)] and in the paper by \textit{V. V. Goldberg} [Tensor, New. Ser. 36, 9--21 (1982; Zbl 0479.53014)]. A \(d\)-web \(W(d,n,r)\) of codimension \(r\) on an \(rn\)-dimensional manifold \(M\) is defined by \(d\) smooth foliations of codimension \(r\) in general position on \(M\). The leaves of the foliation are defined locally by differential 1-forms satisfying appropriate complete integrability conditions and a system of \((d-n)r\) linear relations. The most interesting situation occurs in the case where \(d=n+1\). An important example for webs of codimension \(r\) is defined on the Grassmann manifold \(G(m-r,m)\). Let \(x\in P^ m\) and denote by \(\Sigma (x)\) the Schubert variety of those \(P^{m-r}\in G(m-r,m)\) containing \(x\). If \(V\subset P^ m\) is a smooth \(r\)-dimensional submanifold then those \(\Sigma (x)\) determined by \(x\in V\) are locally the leaves of an \(r\)-codimensional foliation of \(G(m-r,m)\). Next, a set of d submanifolds \(V_ u\), \(u=1,...,d\) of dimension \(r\) in general position in \(P^ m\) defines locally a \(d\)-web of codimension \(r\) in \(G(m-r,m)\), denoted by \(GW(d,m-r+1,r)\) and called a Grassmannian web. In the case where the \(V_ u\), \(u=1,...,d\), belong to an algebraic variety \(V^ r_ d\subset P^ m\) of dimension \(r\) and degree \(d\) one obtains an algebraic web, denoted by \(AW(d,m-r+1,r)\). The author describes the conditions under which a given \(d\)-web of codimension \(r\) is equivalent to a Grassmannian or an algebraic web. In the third section of the paper the author studies the relationship between three-webs and differentiable quasigroups and loops. Then he studies, in the fourth section, the geometric properties of three-webs related to some important classes of quasigroups and loops, as well as the infinitesimal automorphisms of three-webs. In the last section the author studies some geometric and algebraic structures, related to three- webs: almost complex structures, three webs defined on the tangent bundle of a smooth manifold, generalized Appel spaces, three-webs on a 2- dimensional manifold over a commutative \(r\)-dimensional algebra with unity.