Deformations and Hilbert's fourth problem (Q303615)

Hilbert's fourth problem asks to characterize all intrinsic quasimetrics, namely those distance functions which satisfy all axioms for a metric with the possible exception of symmetry, on a subset in \(\mathbb{R}^n\) such that the straight line segments are the shortest paths. Since any intrinsic quasimetric induces a Finsler metric, Hilbert's Fourth Problem in the regular case is to study the Finsler metrics with straight lines as their geodesics. Such Finsler metrics are said to be projectively flat (from the introduction). The author solves this problem for a certain class of Finsler metrics, namely the class of \((\alpha,\beta)\)-metrics. He provides a characterization of locally projectively flat \((\alpha, \beta)\)-metrics in dimension \(n\geq3\), using a new type of metric transformations. As a consequence, the projective flatness of an \((\alpha,\beta)\)-metrics always arises from the projective flatness of some Riemannian metric.