Screen isotropic leaves and Simons' formula for null hypersurfaces (Q6655010)

A hypersurface \(M\) of a Lorentzian manifold is said to be null or light-like if the induced metric tensor on \(M\) is degenerate. This prevents inducing the usual geometric objects on \(M\), like the Levi-Civita connection, the second fundamental form and the Gauss-Codazzi equation, since there is no natural projection onto \(M\). \textit{M. Gutiérrez} and \textit{B. Olea} [Math. Nachr. 289, No. 10, 1219--1236 (2016; Zbl 1345.53021)] introduced the so-called rigging technique in order to circumvent these problems: after choosing an arbitrary vector field \(\zeta\), called a rigging, that is always transverse to \(TM\), it is possible to define all necessary geometric objects in order to handle null hypersurfaces, in particular a null section of \(\mathrm{Rad}(TM)\), a screen distribution of \(TM\), a transverse null section and all associated tensors. \N\NThe most important result for this reviewer is an explicit formula for the Laplacian of the null second fundamental form of a null hypersurface of a Lorentzian manifold with constant curvature, which allows the authors to characterize null hypersurfaces for which the screen sectional curvature is non-negative.