Submanifolds with parallel second fundamental form studied via the Gauss map (Q2492873)

Many of the results about the submanifolds with parallel second fundamental form (shortly, II-parallel submanifolds) in space forms are generalized to the II-parallel submanifolds \(M\) in arbitrary Riemannian manifold \(N\); in particular, there is generalized a result by J. Vilms in 1972 that the Gauss image of every of such submanifold in euclidean space is a totally geodesic submanifold (i.e. affine) of the Grassmannian. For this purpose the Grassmann bundle \(\overline{N}\) over \(N\) is introduced whose fibre \(\overline{N}_q\) over \(q\in N\) is the Grassmann manifold \(G_m(T_qN)\) of \(m\)-dimensional linear subspaces of \(T_qN\). The geometry of \(\overline{N}\) is developed. The corresponding covariant derivative \(\overline{\nabla}\) has the property that an \(m\)-dimensional submanifold \(M\subset N\) is II-parallel if and only if its Gauss map \(M\to \overline{N}\) is affine. By means of this relation a following generalization of Cartan's theorem on the total geodesy of a geodesic umbrella is derived. Suppose, initial data \((p,W,b)\) prescribing a tangent space \(W\in G_m(T_pN)\) and a second fundamental form \(b\) at \(p\in N\) are given; for these data an \(m\)-dimensional `umbrella' \(M= M(p,W,b)\subset N\) is constructed the rays of which are helical arcs of \(N\); moreover, tensorial conditions (not involving \(\overline{\nabla}\) are presented which guarantee that the umbrella \(M\) has parallel second fundamental form. These conditions are as well necessary, and locally every II-parallel submanifold can be obtained in this way.