Stationary Veselov-Novikov equation and isothermally asymptotic surfaces in projective differential geometry (Q1807641)

The homogeneous coordinates of a surface \(M\) in projective 3-space satisfy the linear system \[ u_{xx}= pu_y+\frac 12(V-p_y)u, \quad u_{yy}= qu_x+ \frac 12 (W-q_x)u \] with respect to asymptotic coordinates \(x,y\) on \(M\). The fundamental differential invariant obtained from this system is the cubic form \(pdx^3+ qdy^3\). If \(p=q\), the surface is said isothermally asymptotic. Examples of isothermally asymptotic surfaces include quadrics \((p=0)\), the Roman quartic surface of Steiner, Kummer's quartic, and projective transforms of affine spheres. In this article, the author first derives the stationary modified Veselov-Novikov equations (mVN) as integrability conditions of isothermally asymptotic surfaces. Secondly, he shows that the potential appearing in the Lelieuvre representation of isothermally asymptotic surfaces in Euclidean 3-space satisfies the stationary Veselov-Novikov equations. In this way he obtains a geometric Bäcklund transformation between the mVN and VN equations which generalizes the Miura transformation. The above mentioned examples of isothermally asymptotic surfaces are discussed.