Isometric immersions with prefixed second order geometry in minimal codimension (Q326723)

Let \(M\) be a simply connected submanifold of an \(n\)-dimensional space form \(Q^n_c\) with constant sectional curvature \(c\). Then \(M\) inherits a first fundamental form as well as a second fundamental form from \(Q^n_c\). The geometry determined by these fundamental forms are referred to as \textsl{the second-order geometry} of \(M\). The focus of the paper is a study of the problem when it is possible to ensure the existence of an isometric immersion of \(M\) into a totally geodesic submanifold of \(Q^n_c\) of lower dimension in such a way that all (or part of) its second-order geometrical properties are preserved. The paper contains several results addressing this problem. The framework for the problem and previous work related to the problem is also discussed in some detail.