Proof of the oval conjecture for proper planar partition surfaces (Q1775032)

A planar partition surface is the graph \(\Gamma_f\) of a \(C^1\) map \(f:\mathbb R^2\to\mathbb R^2\) satisfying two conditions (PL) and (PA) that ensure that, together with the ``vertical lines'' \(\{(x,y)\}\times\mathbb R^2\), the translates of \(\Gamma_f\) form an affine plane \({\mathcal A}_f\), and the translates of all tangent spaces to \(\Gamma_f\) form an affine translation plane \({\mathcal T}_f\), respectively. (In both cases, the point space is \(\mathbb R^4\).) It appears to be an open problem whether (PL) and (PA) are equivalent, cf. [\textit{D. Betten}, Adv. Geom. 5, No. 1, 107--118 (2005; Zbl 1067.51007)]. The standard example for a planar partition map is the complex squaring map \((x,y)\mapsto(x^2-y^2,2xy)\). A large class of examples was constructed by \textit{B. Polster} [Abh. Math. Semin. Univ. Hamb. 66, 113--129 (1996; Zbl 0883.51005)]. The authors show that for every proper planar partition function \(f\), the affine planes \({\mathcal A}_f\) and \({\mathcal T}_f\) form an oval pair: these planes share one parallel class of lines, and each of the remaining lines in any one of the planes forms the affine trace of an oval in the other plane (with a single point at infinity). The proof uses covering space techniques, and the assumption that \(f\) is a proper map is used in order to make those techniques available. In the meantime, \textit{N. Rosehr} [``Proof of the oval conjecture for planar partition functions'', Eur. J. Comb., to appear] has applied \textit{P. J. Rabier}'s fibration theorem [Ann. Math. (2) 146, No. 3, 647--691 (1997; Zbl 0919.58003)] in order to make the additional assumption superfluous.