\(G\)-deformations of maps into projective space (Q2184238)

The focus of this paper is to investigate \(G\)-deformations of smooth maps into \(G\)-invariant submanifolds of projective space \(\mathbb{P}(V)\), where \(G\) is a group acting linearly on \(V\). Suppose that \(V\) is a vector space with projectivisation \(\mathbb{P}(V)\) and suppose that \(G\) is a Lie group acting linearly on \(V\). In this paper \(G\)-deformability of maps into projective space is characterised by the existence of certain Lie-algebra-valued 1-forms. This characterisation gives a unified way to obtain well-known results regarding deformability in different geometries. The examples studied are all examples of \(\textbf{R}\)-spaces [\textit{J. Tits}, C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris 239, 850--852 (1954; Zbl 0058.36503)]. The paper is organized as follows. The first section is an introduction to the subject. Section 2 deals with deformations in projective space. In Section 3, the author examines deformability of surfaces in projective \(3\)-space. He obtains a gauge theoretic characterisation of second-order deformability via the existence of a certain closed \(\operatorname{sl}(4)\)-valued 1-form. In Section 4, he investigates the deformability of hypersurfaces in the conformal \(n\)-sphere. He recovers the result that the only second-order deformable surfaces in this case are isothermic surfaces in the conformal 3-sphere. In Section 5, the author investigates deformability of Legendre maps in Lie sphere geometry and projective geometry. He uses the \(\mathbb{R}^{s,t}\) models for these geometries, where \((s, t)=(4, 2)\) in Lie sphere geometry and \((s, t)=(3, 3)\) in projective geometry. He characterises second-order deformability in these cases by the existence of a certain closed \(1\)-form taking values in \(\mathfrak o(s, t)\). In the case of Lie sphere geometry, it is observed that this characterisation coincides with the gauge theoretic definitions of \(\Omega\) and \(\Omega_0\)-surfaces. Recall that in [\textit{E. Musso} and \textit{L. Nicolodi}, Tohoku Math. J. (2) 58, No. 2, 161--187 (2006; Zbl 1155.53306)] it was shown that \(\Omega\) and \(\Omega_0\)-surfaces are the only surfaces in Lie sphere geometry that admit non-trivial second-order deformations. In Section 6, the author recovers a result of \textit{G. Fubini} [Rend. Circ. Mat. Palermo 41, 135--162 (1916; JFM 46.1098.01)] that relates the second-order deformability of a surface in projective 3-space with the second-order deformability of its contact lift. This allows him to equate second-order deformability in projective \(3\)-space with the gauge theoretic definitions of \(R\)- and \(R_0\)-surfaces.