General helices in the three-dimensional Lorentzian space forms (Q5948857)

For a general helix in the Euclidean space \(\mathbb{R}^3\) a classical result stated by Lancret in 1802 and first proved by de Saint Venant in 1845 says that a ``curve is a general helix if and only if the ratio of curvature to torsion is constant''. Also the solving of the natural equations problem says that ``given a pair of functions, one would like to get an arclength parametrized curve for which that couple works as the curvature and torsion functions''. For general helices the natural equations can be integrated in \(\mathbb{R}^3\) and in the three-sphere \(S^3,\) showing that general helices are geodesics either of right general cylinders or of Hopf cylinders, according to whether the curve lies in \(\mathbb{R}^3\) or \(S^3,\) respectively. The present paper concerns general helices in the three-dimensional flat Lorentz space \(L^3\) and the nonflat de Sitter \(S_1^3\) and anti de Sitter \(H_1^3\) space forms. A non-null curve \(\gamma \) immersed in \(L^3\) is called a general helix if its tangent indicatrix is contained in some plane \(\Pi \subset L^3.\) The authors obtain among others some Lancret-type theorems which show remarkable differences from the helices in Riemannian space forms. In particular they prove that general helices in \(L^3\) are geodesics either on right general cylinders or on flat \(B\)-scrolls, according to whether the plane \(\Pi \subset L^3\) of the tangent indicatrix is nondegenerate or degenerate, respectively. Generalizations to non flat Lorentzian space forms \(S_1^3\) and \(H_1^3\) are also given.