On the curvature of algebraic hypersurfaces

DOI10.1016/J.JPAA.2009.05.016MaRDI QIDQ2655005zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors E. Kunz, R. Waldi

Publication date 22 January 2010

Published in Journal of Pure and Applied Algebra (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpaa.2009.05.016

zbMATH Keywords

algebraic hypersurfaceGaussian curvaturepolar intersection scheme

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Foundations of algebraic geometry (14Axx) Differentials and other special sheaves; D-modules; Bernstein-Sato ideals and polynomials (14F10) Complete intersections (14M10) Classical differential geometry (53Axx)

Review text

Let \(V\) be an algebraic hypersurface in real affine space of dimension \(d\), consider a subspace \(L\) of dimension \(d-2\) at infinity and denote by \(\text{Tan}_L V\) the intersection of \(V\) with the polar of \(L\) with respect to \(V\). The authors express the sum \(S\) of (suitably signed) reciprocal Gaussian curvatures of \(V\) in the points of \(\text{Tan}_L V\) as a rational function times a square root expression in the coordinates of \(L\) (viewed as subspace of co-dimension \(1\) in the hyperplane at infinity). Much of the theory is developed in more general context over arbitrary algebraically closed fields of characteristic zero. The authors provide an algorithm for computing the rational function in the formula for \(S\) and demonstrate it at hand of an explicit example in three-space. They also recover an old result by Chasles for the planar case \(d = 2\) stating that \(S\), the sum of signed curvature radii in curve points with parallel tangents, vanishes. All results only hold under suitable assumptions which are either too subtle or too involved for an exposition in this review.

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Cites work

• Residues and duality for projective algebraic varieties. With the assistance of and contributions by David A. Cox and Alicia Dickenstein
• Residui di integrali doppi e intersezioni di curve analitiche
• Some Properties of Differentiable Varieties and Transformations

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(3)

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