Wintgen ideal submanifolds of codimension two, complex curves, and Möbius geometry (Q511500)

The authors introduce the concept of a \textit{Wintgen ideal submanifold} of a real space form using a particular form of the shape operators. For these submanifolds equality holds in the so-called DDVV inequality between intrinsic and extrinsic quantities of the submanifold, cf. [\textit{G. Jianquan} and \textit{T. Zizhou}, Pac. J. Math. 237, No. 1, 87--95 (2008; Zbl 1163.53038)]. This concept generalizes \textit{super-conformal} surfaces in the \(4\)-sphere, cf. [\textit{P. Wintgen}, C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. A 288, 993--995 (1979; Zbl 0421.53003)]. The authors show that the mean curvature spheres of a Wintgen ideal submanifold of codimension two form an \(1\)-isotropic holomorphic curve in a complex quadric. As an application one obtains that for a Wintgen ideal submanifold of codimension two in Euclidean space the centers of its mean curvature sphere congruence form an Euclidean minimal surface.