A filtration for isoparametric hypersurfaces in Riemannian manifolds (Q500095)

The authors define \(k\)-\textit{isoparametric} hypersurfaces of Riemannian manifolds \(N\) as follows: {\parindent=0.7cm \begin{itemize}\item[(i)] the operator \(\Delta_k\) is defined on \(N\) by \(\Delta_k(f) = \sigma_k(H_f)\), \(\sigma_k\) being the \(k\)-th elementary symmetric function of the eigenvalues of the Hessian \(H_f\) of \(f\). \item[(ii)] \(f: N\to \mathbb{R}\) is \(k\)-isoparametric if \(\|\nabla f\|^2 = b(f)\) and \(\Delta_i(f) = a_i(f)\) for \(i = 1,\ldots , k\) and some functions \(b, a_1, \ldots, a_k:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}\). \item[(iii)]A hypersurface \(M\) of \(N\) is \(k\)-\textit{isoparametric} when \(M\) is given locally as a level set of a \(k\)-isoparametic function \(f\) on \(N\). \end{itemize}} The authors obtain a number of interesting results concerning such submanifolds on complex projective spaces, complex hyperbolic spaces and symmetric spaces of rank-1. For example, they prove the following. {\parindent=0.7cm \begin{itemize}\item[(i)] Any \(3\)-isoparametric hypersurface in a rank-one symmetric space is \(5\)-isoparametric. \item[(ii)] Any \(1\)-isoparametric Hopf hypersurface in \(\mathbb{C}H^n\) is homogeneous, and so on. \end{itemize}}