Almost flat line configurations (Q1809522)

The author investigates spatial configurations of \(n\) lines in real affine or projective 3-space by studying projections of these configurations to subplanes and by recording the incidence pairs (i.e. those preimages that intersect in 3-space) of every pair of lines. These two ingredients are called an incidence diagram. The characterization of possible planar layouts of \(n\) lines is the classical ``weaving problem'' [see, e.g. \textit{R. Penne}, Geom. Dedicata 45, No. 1, 49-82 (1993; Zbl 0773.51005) or \textit{W. Whiteley}, Geom. Dedicata 30, No. 3, 255-279 (1989; Zbl 0675.51008)]. The paper under review is devoted to the study of almost flat incidence diagrams on a generic projection of \(n\) lines. This means that if one more incidence is added to the diagram, then the extended diagram only allows line configurations lying in some plane. Almost flat incidence diagrams only permit two liftable planar layouts, which are each other's mirror image. The question that arises is if it is possible to find this uniquely determined (up to mirror symmetry) weaving pattern for a given almost flat incidence diagram. The author shows how this question can be reduced to the construction of, what he calls, derived lines. He considers maximal subdiagrams of the incidence diagram which correspond to flat liftings in any lifting. Hence, for a given lifting, two such maximal subdiagrams correspond to two distinct planes and the projection of their line of intersection is called a derived line. The author proves that the derived lines of almost flat incidence diagrams are uniquely determined, i.e. they are independent of the lifting. The paper ends with some techniques for finding derived lines of almost flat diagrams.