Quadratic Differentials, Quaternionic Forms, and Surfaces

Publication date 21 December 1997

Initial value problems for nonlinear first-order PDEs (35F25) Surfaces in Euclidean and related spaces (53A05) Differential invariants (local theory), geometric objects (53A55) Differential geometry of immersions (minimal, prescribed curvature, tight, etc.) (53C42)

Abstract: Global isothermic immersions are defined and studied with the aid of a connection between quadratic differentials and immersions. The applications are two problems stemming from the fundamental question: how much data is needed to identify a surface immersion (Christoffel's problem) or its shape (Bonnet's problem). A short complete solution of Christoffel's problem, including closed surfaces, is given. It is shown that every immersion of an oriented closed surface (genus

e q

1) is uniquely determined up to similitude by its conformal class and the tangent planes map. A classification of all generic Bonnet surfaces follows from a series of papers by Bonnet, Cartan, and Chern. The existence of a new class of Bonnet surfaces is shown here. The understanding of this class is necessary in order to study the rigidity of closed surfaces.

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