Isoparametric submanifolds in two-dimensional complex space forms (Q2413474)

A submanifold \(M\) of a Riemannian manifold \(\overline M\) is said to be isoparametric if its normal bundle \(\nu M\) is flat, all nearby parallel submanifolds have constant mean curvature in the radial directions, and for any \(p\in M\) there exists a totally geodesic submanifold \(\Sigma_p\) through \(p\) such that \(T_p\Sigma_p=\nu_pM\). A submanifold \(M\) of \(\overline M\) is called Terng-isoparametric if it has flat normal bundle and the eigenvalues of the shape operator with respect to any parallel normal vector field are constant. If \(\langle\;,\;\rangle\) is the Riemannian metric of a complex space form \(\overline{M}^2(c)\) of dimension 2 and constant holomorphic curvature \(c\neq 0\), then \(\overline\nabla\), \(\overline R\), and \(J\) are its Levi-Civita connection, its curvature tensor, and its complex structure, respectively. \(\overline{M}^2(c)\) is isometric to a complex projective plane \(\mathbb CP^2\) endowed with the Fubini-Study metric of constant holomorphic sectional curvature \(c>0\), or to a complex hyperbolic plane \(\mathbb CH^2\) endowed with the Bergman metric of constant holomorphic sectional curvature \(c<0\). A surface \(M\) in \(\mathbb CH^2\) is called slant if its tangent space has constant Kähler angle, that is, if for each nonzero vector \(v\in T_pM\) the angle between \(Jv\) and \(T_pM\) is independent of \(p\in M\) and \(v\in T_pM\). \(M\) is called proper slant if the Kähler angle is neither \(0\) nor \(\pi/2\). The Chen surface is the unique proper slant surface of \(\mathbb CH^2\) with Kähler angle \(\theta=\arccos(1/3)\) and satisfying \(\langle H,H\rangle=2K-c(1+3\cos^2\theta)/2\), where \(K\) is the Gaussian curvature of \(M\). In this paper, the authors show that an isoparametric submanifold of \(\overline{M}^2(c)\) is congruent to an open part of a principal orbit of a polar action on \(\overline{M}^2(c)\). Also, it is shown that a submanifold of \(\overline{M}^2(c)\) is Terng-isoparametric if and only if it is congruent to an open part of (i)\, an isoparametric submanifold of \(\overline{M}^2(c)\), or (ii)\, a Chen surface in \(\mathbb CH^2\), or (iii) a circle in \(\overline{M}^2(c)\).