Contact geometry of curves

DOI10.3842/SIGMA.2009.098zbMATH Open1189.53021arXiv0910.3646OpenAlexW2110586992MaRDI QIDQ970286FDOQ970286

Peter J. Vassiliou

Publication date: 17 May 2010

Published in: SIGMA. Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry: Methods and Applications (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Cartan's method of moving frames is briefly recalled in the context of immersed curves in the homogeneous space of a Lie group $G$. The contact geometry of curves in low dimensional equi-affine geometry is then made explicit. This delivers the complete set of invariant data which solves the $G$-equivalence problem via a straightforward procedure, and which is, in some sense a supplement to the equivariant method of Fels and Olver. Next, the contact geometry of curves in general Riemannian manifolds $(M,g)$ is described. For the special case in which the isometries of $(M,g)$ act transitively, it is shown that the contact geometry provides an explicit algorithmic construction of the differential invariants for curves in $M$. The inputs required for the construction consist only of the metric $g$ and a parametrisation of structure group SO(n); the group action is not required and no integration is involved. To illustrate the algorithm we explicitly construct complete sets of differential invariants for curves in the Poincare half-space $H^3$ and in a family of constant curvature 3-metrics. It is conjectured that similar results are possible in other Cartan geometries.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/0910.3646

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zbMATH Keywords

Riemannian manifoldscurvesmoving framesgoursat normal forms

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Differential invariants (local theory), geometric objects (53A55) Exterior differential systems (Cartan theory) (58A15) Vector distributions (subbundles of the tangent bundles) (58A30) Local submanifolds (53B25) Jets in global analysis (58A20)

Cited In (12)

• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Christiaan Huygens and contact geometry
• Union curves in contact manifolds
• Theory of contact for geometric continuity of parametric curves
• Classes and recognition of curve contact graphs
• Curvature, tangentiality, and controlled topology
• A higher-order contact formula for plane curves
• Contact geometry and complex surfaces
• Starshaped sets
• Geometry of integral manifolds of contact distribution
• Point contacts and boundary triples
• On the extrinsic geometry of contact structures

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