A characterization of quadrics by the principal curvature functions (Q1423800)

The authors consider the difference-tensor field of the Levi-Civita connections of the first and third fundamental form for non-degenerate hypersurface immersions in space forms. Within this framework, quadrics are characterized in terms of their principal curvature functions. Let \(f:M^n\to\overline M{}^{n+1}\) be an isometric non-degenerate immersion of a \(C^\infty\)-manifold \(M^n\) into a space form \(\overline M{}^{n+1}\), and \(\widetilde C\) be the symmetric traceless part of the cubic form \(C=\nabla^{\text{I}}\text{I\!I}\). Consider an orthonormal frame of principal curvature vector fields \((e_i)_{1\leq i\leq n}\) with corresponding principal curvatures \(\lambda_i\). Then the immersion \(f\) satisfies the condition \(\widetilde C\equiv 0\) iff the following equations are satisfied: \[ e_i\left( {\lambda_i}/{\lambda_j^3}\right)= 0\quad\text{for}\quad 1\leq i\neq j\leq n,\tag{1} \] \[ \text{I\!I}(\nabla _{e_i}^{\text I}e_j, e_k) +\text{I\!I} ( e_j,\nabla_{e_i}^{\text I}e_k)=0\quad\text{for}\quad 1\leq i< j\leq n.\tag{2} \] Let \(f : M^n\to (\mathbb R^{n+1},D)\) be an isometric immersion with non-degenerate second fundamental form \(\text{I\!I}\). Then \(f(M^n)\) is an open part of a non-degenerate hyperquadric iff the conditions (1) and (2) are satisfied. Let \(f: M^2\to\overline M{}^3\) be an isometric immersion of a \(C^\infty\)-manifold \(M^2\) into a space form \(\overline M{}^3\). Let \((e_1,e_2)\) be an orthonormal frame of principal curvature vector fields on \(M\) associated to the principal curvatures \(\lambda_1\) and \(\lambda_2\), respectively. Then the immersion \(f\) satisfies the condition \(\widetilde C\equiv 0\) iff the principal curvatures \(\lambda_i\) satisfy the following equations: \[ e_i\left( {\lambda_i}/{\lambda_j^3}\right)= 0\quad\text{for}\quad 1\leq i\neq j\leq n.\tag{3} \] In particular, if \(\overline M{}^3=\mathbb R^3\), then the equations (3) characterize 2-dimensional Euclidean quadrics.