Isometric embedding via strongly symmetric positive systems (Q1749214)

The existence of a local isometric embedding of an \(n\)-dimensional Riemannian manifold \((M,g)\) into \({\mathbb{R}}^N\) is described by a system of \(\frac{1}{2}n(n+1)\) partial differential equations for \(N\) unknown functions. According to a well-known result, if the Riemannian metric is real analytic and \(N=\frac{1}{2}n(n+1)\), then there always exist a local real analytic solution. In the \(C^\infty\) category, existence theorems are proved in rather underdetermined cases. In the determined case \(N=\frac{1}{2}n(n+1)\), results depending on the Gauss curvature at the origin are known for \(n=2\). For \(n=3\), an isometric embedding exists in a neighborhood of any point with Einstein tensor of rank greater or equal to \(1\). Later, this result was extended to points with nonvanishing Riemann curvature tensor and also to points where the Riemannian curvature tensor vanishes but its covariant derivative does not vanish. For \(n=4\), the description is more complicated by further algebraic relations. In the present paper, it is proved that for a \(3\)-dimensional Riemannian \(C^\infty\) manifold \((M,g)\), with nonzero curvature tensor at \(p\in M\), there exist local isometric \(C^\infty\) embeddings of a neighborhood of \(p\) into \({\mathbb{R}}^6\). The proof uses the analysis of special systems of partial differential equations with the property called strong symmetric positivity and it is more simple than the proofs given in earlier works.