S\({}^ 1\)-equivariant minimal tori in \(S^ 4\) and \(S^ 1\)-equivariant Willmore tori in \(S^ 3\) (Q756167)

The authors determine all the minimal tori in the Euclidean resp. Lorentzian sphere \[ S^ 4_{\epsilon}:=\{(\xi,z,w)\in {\mathbb{R}}\times {\mathbb{C}}\times {\mathbb{C}}| \quad \epsilon \xi^ 2+z\bar z+w\bar w=1\} \] which are invariant under the one-parameter group \(G(m,n):(\xi,z,w)\mapsto (\xi,\exp (im\phi)z,\quad \exp (in\phi)w)\) for fixed m,n\(\in {\mathbb{Z}}\) with \(0<m<n\) and \((m,n)=1\). By a well known relation of the Lorentzian case to the geometry in the Euclidean sphere \(S^ 3:=\{(z,w)\in {\mathbb{C}}\times {\mathbb{C}}| \quad z\bar z+w\bar w=1\},\) all the Willmore tori in \(S^ 3\) which are invariant under the group \((z,w)\mapsto (\exp (im\phi)z,\quad \exp (in\phi)w),\) are then equally known. The method is as follows: Following \textit{W.-Y. Hsiang} and \textit{H. B. Lawson jun.} [J. Differ. Geom. 5, 1-38 (1971; Zbl 0219.53045)], the tori looked for in \(S^ 4_{\epsilon}\) correspond to closed (spacelike) geodesics in the orbit space \(S^ 3_{\epsilon}:=S^ 4_{\epsilon}/G(m,n),\) endowed with a certain Riemannian metric \(g_ 1\) conformal to the squared infinitesimal orthogonal distance between orbits (where singular points may be excluded here). The closed geodesics are calculated by applying Hamilton-Jacobi theory to the geodesic flow of \(S^ 3_{\epsilon}\). The flow is completely integrable, as is proven by specifying three independent integrals \(H_ 0\), \(H_ 1\), \(H_ 2\), where \(H_ 0\) is the geodesic energy and \(H_ 1+iH_ 2\) is (essentially) the coefficient of the associated quartic Abelian differential in isothermic surface coordinates \(z=x+iy\). Some beautiful computer pictures show embedded examples of the resulting Willmore tori which, after stereographic projection of \(S^ 3\) to \({\mathbb{R}}^ 3\) look like closed plaits.