Spacelike maximal surfaces in 4-dimensional space forms of index 2. (Q1812486)

Let \(N_p^n(c)\) denote the \(n\)-dimensional simply connected semi-Riemannian space form of constant curvature \(c\) and index \(p\). In the paper under review several results on space-like maximal surfaces in 4-dimensional space forms of index 2 are given. Some of them are concerned with necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of such a surfaces involving conditions on the Laplacian on curvatures. As for space-like maximal surfaces with constant Gaussian curvature, some results on rigidity type are also given. For instance, if \(M\) is a space-like maximal surface in \(N_2^4(c)\) which is locally isometric to a space-like maximal surface in \(N_1^3(c)\), then \(M\) lies in a totally geodesic \(N_1^3(c)\).