Isometric deformation on surfaces in the hyperbolic 3-manifold preserving the mean curvature (Q1903389)

Let \((N^3(c), h)\) be a complete simply connected Riemannian 3-manifold of constant curvature \(c\) with metric \(h\). Let \(X: M\to N^3(c)\) be an isometric immersion of a Riemannian 2-manifold \(M\) into \(N^3(c)\) and \(H\) the mean curvature of \(X\). The isometric immersion \(X\) is called \(H\)-deformable if there exists a non-trivial 1-parameter family of immersions \(X_t\) such that \(X_0= X\), \(X^*_t h= X^*_0 h\), \(H_t= H\), where \(H_t\) denotes the mean curvature of \(X_t\). An \(H\)-deformation \(\{X_t\}\) is trivial if for each parameter \(t\), there exists an isometry \(L\) of \(N^3(c)\) such that \(X_t= L\circ X_0\). The purpose of this paper is to study \(H\)-deformable surfaces in hyperbolic 3-space. The following results are obtained: If the Gaussian curvature \(K\) of the surface is constant, then either \(K= 0\) or \(K= -1\). In the case of \(K= 0\), the mean curvature of the surface is constant. In the case of \(K= -1\), the mean curvature function can be explicitly determined. In both cases, the first and the second fundamental forms of the immersions \(\{X_t\}\) of the \(H\)-deformation can be completely determined.