A characterization of extrinsic spheres in a Riemannian manifold (Q1861075)

By definition, a Frenet curve of order 2 in a Riemannian manifold \(N\) is a unit speed geodesic or a unit speed curve \(\alpha:J\to N\) such that there exists a unit vector field \(Y\) along \(\alpha\) and a positive function \(\kappa\) such that for the differentiation along \(\alpha\) one has \[ \nabla_\partial \dot\alpha =\kappa\cdot Y\quad \text{and} \quad\nabla_\partial Y= -\kappa\cdot \dot\alpha. \] If \(\kappa\equiv \text{const.}\), then \(\alpha\) is called a circle. In a real space form a unit speed curve is a Frenet curve of order 2 if and only if it is a plane curve (i.e., it lies in a 2-dimensional totally geodesic submanifold). In [Math. Ann. 210, 163-170 (1974; Zbl 0273.53039)] \textit{K. Nomizu} and \textit{K. Yano} showed: An isometric immersion \(f:M\to N\) describes an extrinsic sphere if and only if for every circle \(\gamma\) of \(M\) of some fixed curvature \(k>0\) the image \(f\circ\gamma\) is a circle in the ambient space \(N\). Now the authors prove: If these curves \(f\circ\gamma\) are only known to be Frenet curves of order 2, then \(f\) is an isotropic immersion and consequently these curves \(f\circ\gamma\) already are circles; therefore \(f\) describes an extrinsic sphere under this weaker assumption.