Hopf hypersurfaces in space forms (Q2576712)

A complex structure of the ambient space yields in each of their oriented hypersurfaces a special tangent vector field, Hopf vector field, which is obtained by applying the complex structure of the ambient space to a unit normal vector field defined on the hypersurface. A hypersurface of a Kähler manifold is said to be a Hopf hypersurface when the integral curves of its Hopf vector field are geodesics of the hypersurface. The author first starts characterizing the complex space forms as the Kähler manifolds all of whose geodesic hyperspheres are Hopf hypersurfaces. Then he uses all the geometrical understanding achieved about Hopf hypersurfaces of this complex space form in order to prove that if he assumes that every continuous principle curvature function defined on the hypersurface admits a corresponding continuous principle vector field then the rank of the focal map of a Hopf hypersurface is constant. As the author writes, the main purpose of this article is to replace the assumption used by Cecil-Ryan in the following theorem by the more natural condition mentioned above. Theorem: Let \(M\) be a connected orientable Hopf hypersurface of \(\mathbb CP^n\) with the Hopf principle curvature \(\mu=-2\text{\,cot}(2r)\). Assume that the focal map \(\phi_r\) of \(M\) has constant rank \(k\) on \(M\). Then \(k\) is even and each point \(q\in M\) has a neighbourhood \(V\) such that \(\phi_r(\perp^1V)\) is a complex submanifold of \(\mathbb CP^n\) and \(V\) lies on the tube of radius \(r\) over \(\phi_r(\perp^1V)\). Furthermore, if \(M\) is compact then its focal set \({\mathcal N}= \phi_r(\perp^1M)\) is a complex submanifold of \(\mathbb CP^n\) and \(M\) lies on the tube of radius \(r\) around \(N\). Conversely, every open subset of a tube of constant radius over a complex submanifolds of \(\mathbb CP^n\) is a Hopf hypersurface.