Locally symmetric connections on surfaces (Q1190287)

Let \(M\) be a connected 2-manifold and \(\nabla\) a torsion-free, locally symmetric linear connection on \(M\) with curvature \(R\), \(\text{Im }R_ x:=\text{span}\{R(w,z)y\mid w,z,y\in T_ xM\}\); throughout the investigations the condition \(\dim\text{Im }R=1\) is imposed. Keeping these in mind, the main results of this stimulating paper can briefly be summarized as follows. -- The author introduces two kinds of special coordinate systems on \(M\) and proves that \(M\) can be affinely immersed as a nondegenerate surface into \(\mathbb{R}^ 3\). After that she gives a local characterization of such immersions, describing their transversal vector fields as well. She carefully distinguishes properties which are intrinsic, i.e. depend only on the given connection, from those which depend on the affine immersion.