We generalize the spinorial characterization of isometric immersions of surfaces in R^3 given by T. Friedrich (On the spinor representation of surfaces in Euclidean 3-space, J. Geom. Phys. 28 (1998)) to surfaces in S^3 and H^3. The main argument is the interpretation of the energy-momentum tensor associated with a special spinor field as a second fundamental form. It turns out that such a characterization of isometric immersions in terms of a special section of the spinor bundle also holds in the case of hypersurfaces in the Euclidean 4-space.
A beautiful solution to the problem of isometric immersions in $\mathbb{R}^n$ using spinors was found by Bayard, Lawn and Roth. However to use spinors one must assume that the manifold carries a $\mbox{Spin}$-structure and, especially for complex manifolds where is more natural to consider $\mbox{Spin}^{\mathbb{C}}$-structures, this hypothesis is somewhat restrictive. In the present work we show how the above solution can be adapted to $\mbox{Spin}^{\mathbb{C}}$-structures.
Since the first work of Thomas Friedrich showing that isometric immersions of Riemann surfaces are related to spinors and the Dirac equation, various works appeared generalizing this approach to more general Spin-manifolds, in particular the case of submanifolds of Spin-manifolds of constant curvature. In the present work we investigate the case of submanifolds of SpinC-manifolds of constant curvature.
In this paper, following Sullivan, Kusner, and Schmitt, we study conformal immersions of Riemann surfaces into the three-dimensional Euclidean space. Regarding such immersions as special bundle maps from the tangent bundle of the surface to the cotangent bundle of the 2-dimensional sphere, we generalize the classical Weierstrass representation of minimal surfaces to the case of arbitrary conformal immersions. We study how such an immersion gives rise to a spin structure on the surface together with a pair of spinors and how the immersion itself can be studied by means of these spinors.
We give a spinorial characterization of isometrically immersed hypersurfaces into 4-dimensional space forms and product spaces $\M^3(κ)\times\R$, in terms of the existence of particular spinor fields, called generalized Killing spinors or equivalently solutions of a Dirac equation. This generalizes to higher dimensions several recent results for surfaces by T. Friedrich, B. Morel and the two authors. The main argument is the interpretation of the energy-momentum tensor of a generalized Killing spinor as the second fundamental form, possibly up to a tensor depending on the ambient space. As an …
We give a spinorial characterization of isometrically immersed surfaces of arbitrary signature into 3-dimensional pseudo-Riemannian space forms. For Lorentzian surfaces, this generalizes a recent work of the first author in $\mathbb{R}^{2,1}$ to other Lorentzian space forms. We also characterize immersions of Riemannian surfaces in these spaces. From this we can deduce analogous results for timelike immersions of Lorentzian surfaces in space forms of corresponding signature, as well as for spacelike and timelike immersions of surfaces of signature (0,2), hence achieving a complete spinorial de…
The first time that the connection between isometric immersion of surfaces and solutions of the Dirac equation appeared in the literature was in the seminal paper of Thomas Friedrich in 1998. In consequence of that, several authors contributed to this topic hereafter, by obtaining the spinorial representation of Spin manifolds with arbitrary dimension and also by presenting a generalization of the Weierstrass representation map, for example. All these results assume that the manifolds and bundles involved carry a Spin structure, however this hypothesis is somehow restrictive, as for instance, …
We prove that an isometric immersion of a simply connected Riemannian surface M in four-dimensional Minkowski space, with given normal bundle E and given mean curvature vector H \in Γ(E), is equivalent to a normalized spinor field φ\in Γ(ΣE \otimes ΣM) solution of a Dirac equation Dφ=H\cdotφon the surface. Using the immersion of the Minkowski space into the complex quaternions, we also obtain a representation of the immersion in terms of the spinor field. We then use these results to describe the flat spacelike surfaces with flat normal bundle and regular Gauss map in four-dimensional Minkowsk…
The complex projective space $\mathbb C P^2$ of complex dimension $2$ has a Spin$^c$ structure carrying Kählerian Killing spinors. The restriction of one of these Kählerian Killing spinors to a surface $M^2$ characterizes the isometric immersion of $M^2$ into $\mathbb C P^2$ if the immersion is either Lagrangian or complex.
We prove that an isometric immersion of a timelike surface in four-dimensional Minkowski space is equivalent to a normalized spinor field which is a solution of a Dirac equation on the surface. Using the quaternions and the complex numbers, we obtain a spinor representation formula that relates the spinor field and the isometric immersion. Applying the representation formula, we deduce a new spinor representation of a timelike surface in three-dimensional De Sitter space; we give a formula for the Laplacian of the Gauss map of a minimal timelike surface in four-dimensional Minkowski space in t…
We introduce a family of variational functionals for spinor fields on a compact Riemann surface $M$ that can be used to find close-to-conformal immersions of $M$ into $\mathbb{R}^3$ in a prescribed regular homotopy class. Numerical experiments indicate that, by taking suitable limits, minimization of these functionals can also yield piecewise smooth isometric immersions of a prescribed Riemannian metric on $M$.
We prove that an isometric immersion of a simply connected Lorentzian surface in $\mathbb{R}^{2,2}$ is equivalent to a normalised spinor field solution of a Dirac equation on the surface. Using the quaternions and the Lorentz numbers, we also obtain an explicit representation formula of the immersion in terms of the spinor field. We then apply the representation formula in $\mathbb{R}^{2,2}$ to give a new spinor representation formula for Lorentzian surfaces in 3-dimensional Minkowski space. Finally, we apply the representation formula to the local description of the flat Lorentzian surfaces w…
A representation of generalized Weierstrass formulae for an immersion of generic surfaces into a 4-dimensional complex space in terms of spinors treated as minimal left ideals of Clifford algebras is proposed. The relation between integrable deformations of surfaces via mVN-hierarchy and integrable deformations of spinor fields on the surface is also discussed.
The spinor representation is developed for conformal immersions of Riemann surfaces into space. We adapt the approach of Dennis Sullivan, which treats a spin structure on a Riemann surface M as a complex line bundle S whose square is the canonical line bundle K=T(M). Given a conformal immersion of M into \bbR^3, the unique spin strucure on S^2 pulls back via the Gauss map to a spin structure S on M, and gives rise to a pair of smooth sections (s_1,s_2) of S. Conversely, any pair of sections of S generates a (possibly periodic) conformal immersion of M under a suitable integrability condition, …
Motivated by the beautiful theory and the rich applications of harmonic conformal immersions and conformal immersions of constant mean curvature (CMC) surfaces, we study biharmonic conformal immersions of surfaces into a generic 3-manifold. We first derive an invariant equation for such immersions, we then try to answer the question, "what surfaces can be biharmonically conformally immersed into Euclidean 3-space?" We prove that a circular cylinder is the only CMC surface that can be biharmonically conformally immersed into a Euclidean 3-space; We obtain a classification of biharmonic conforma…
We define a `Higgs field' for a four-dimensional spin$^c$-manifold to be a smooth section of its positive half-spinor bundle, transverse to the zero section, and defined only up to a positive functional factor. This is intended to be a generalization of almost complex structures on real four-manifolds, each of which may in fact be treated as a Higgs field without zeros for a specific spin$^c$-structure. The notions of totally real or pseudoholomorphic immersions of real surfaces in an almost complex manifold of real dimension four have straighforward generalizations to the case of a spin$^c$-m…
This paper is devoted to the study of the global properties of harmonically immersed Riemann surfaces in $\mathbb{R}^3.$ We focus on the geometry of complete harmonic immersions with quasiconformal Gauss map, and in particular, of those with finite total curvature. We pay special attention to the construction of new examples with significant geometry.
In classical surface theory there are but few known examples of surfaces admitting nontrivial isometric deformations and fewer still non-simply-connected ones. We consider the isometric deformability question for an immersion x: M \to R^3 of an oriented non-simply-connected surface with constant mean curvature H. We prove that the space of all isometric immersions of M with constant mean curvature H is, modulo congruences of R^3, either finite or a circle. When it is a circle then, for the immersion x, every cycle in M has vanishing force and, when H is not 0, also vanishing torque. Our work g…
Totally real immersions $f$ of a closed real surface $Σ$ in an almost complex surface $M$ are completely classified, up to homotopy through totally real immersions, by suitably defined homotopy classes $\frak{M}(f)$ of mappings from $Σ$ into a specific real 5-manifold $E(M)$, while $\frak{M}(f)$ themselves are subject to a single cohomology constraint. This follows from Gromov's observation that totally real immersions satisfy the h-principle. For the receiving complex surfaces $C^2$, $CP^1\times CP^1$, $CP^2$ and $CP^2 # m\bar{CP^2}$, $m=1,2,...,7$, and all $Σ$ (or, $CP^2 # 8\bar{CP^2}$ and a…
We consider minimal immersions in MxR. We study existence and uniqueness of associate and conjugate isometric immersions to a given minimal surface. We use the theory of univalent harmonic map between surfaces. Then we study the geometry of associate minimal vertical graphs. We prove that an associate surface of a vertical graph on a convex domain is a graph. In the classical theory it is a theorem of R. Krust.
For a given simply connected Riemannian surface Sigma, we relate the problem of finding minimal isometric immersions of Sigma into S^2 x R or H^2 x R to a system of two partial differential equations on Sigma. We prove that a constant intrinsic curvature minimal surface in S^2 x R or H^2 x R is either totally geodesic or part of an associate surface of a certain limit of catenoids in H^2 x R. We also prove that if a non constant curvature Riemannian surface admits a continuous one-parameter family of minimal isometric immersions into S^2 x R or H^2 x R, then all these immersions are associate.
We consider the class of differential equations that describe pseudo-spherical surfaces of the form $u\_t=F(u,u\_x,u\_{xx})$ and $u\_{xt}=F(u, u\_x)$ given in Chern-Tenenblat \cite{ChernTenenblat} and Rabelo-Tenenblat \cite{RabeloTenenblat90}. We answer the following question: Given a pseudo-spherical surface determined by a solution $u$ of such an equation, do the coefficients of the second fundamental form of the local isometric immersion in $\mathbb{R}^3$ depend on a jet of finite order of $u$? We show that, except for the sine-Gordon equation, where the coefficients depend on a jet of orde…
We consider the class of evolution equations that describe pseudo-spherical surfaces of the form u\_t = F (u, $\partial$u/$\partial$x, ..., $\partial$^k u/$\partial$x^k), k $\ge$ 2 classified by Chern-Tenenblat. This class of equations is characterized by the property that to each solution of a differential equation within this class, there corresponds a 2-dimensional Riemannian metric of curvature-1. We investigate the following problem: given such a metric, is there a local isometric immersion in R 3 such that the coefficients of the second fundamental form of the surface depend on a jet of …
In this paper, we provide families of second order non-linear partial differential equations, describing pseudospherical surfaces (pss equations), with the property of having local isometric immersions in E^3, with principal curvatures depending on finite-order jets of solutions of the differential equation. These equations occupy a particularly special place amongst pss equations, since a series of recent papers [2, 7, 11, 12, 13], on several classes of pss equations, seemed to suggest that only the sine-Gordon equation had the above property. Explicit examples are given, which include the sh…
The aim of the present paper is to clarify the relationship between immersions of surfaces and solutions of the inhomogeneous Dirac equation. The main idea leading to the description of a surface M^2 by a spinor field is the observation that the restriction to M^2 of any parallel spinor phi on R^3 is (with respect to the inner geometry of M^2) a non-trivial spinor field on M^2 of constant length which is a solution of the inhomogeneous Dirac equation and vice versa.
In this paper, we study biharmonic isometric immersions of a surface into and biharmonic Riemannian submersion from 3-dimensional Berger spheres. We obtain a classification of proper biharmonic isometric immersions of a surface with constant mean curvature into Berger 3-spheres. We also give a complete classification of proper biharmonic Hopf tori in Berger 3-sphere. For Riemannian submersions, we prove that a Riemannian submersion from Berger 3-spheres into a surface is biharmonic if and only if it is harmonic.
Simply connected 3-dimensional homogeneous manifolds $E(κ, τ)$, with 4-dimensional isometry group, have a canonical Spin$^c$ structure carrying parallel or Killing spinors. The restriction to any hypersurface of these parallel or Killing spinors allows to characterize isometric immersions of surfaces into $E(κ, τ)$. As application, we get an elementary proof of a Lawson type correspondence for constant mean curvature surfaces in $E(κ, τ)$. Real hypersurfaces of the complex projective space and the complex hyperbolic space are also characterized via Spin$^c$ spinors.
We study biminimal immersions, that is immersions which are critical points of the bienergy for normal variations with fixed energy. We give a geometrical description of the Euler-Lagrange equation associated to biminimal immersions for: i) biminimal curves in a Riemannian manifold, with particular care to the case of curves in a space form ii) isometric immersions of codimension one in a Riemannian manifold, in particular for surfaces of a three-dimensional manifold. We describe two methods to construct families of biminimal surfaces using both Riemannian and horizontally homothetic submersio…
We prove that compact 3-manifolds $M$ of constant curvature +1 with boundary a minimal surface are locally naturally parametrized by the conformal class of the boundary metric $γ$ in the Teichmuller space of $\partial M$, when $genus(\partial M) \geq 2$. Stronger results are obtained in the case of genus 1 boundary, giving in particular a new proof of Brendle's solution of the Lawson conjecture. The results generalize to constant mean curvature surfaces, and surfaces in flat and hyperbolic 3-manifolds.
The aim of this paper is to investigate the differential geometry of immersed surfaces in three-dimensional normed spaces from the viewpoint of affine differential geometry. We endow the surface with a useful Riemannian metric which is closely related to normal curvature, and from this we re-calculate the Minkowski Gaussian and mean curvatures. These curvatures are also re-obtained in terms of ambient affine distance functions, and as a consequence we characterize minimal surfaces as the solutions of a certain differential equation. We also investigate in which cases it is possible that the af…
In this article, we study constant mean curvature isometric immersions into $\mathbb{S}^2 \times \mathbb{R}$ and $\mathbb{H}^2 \times \mathbb{R}$ and we classify these isometric immersions when the surface has constant intrinsic curvature. As applications, we use the sister surface correspondence to classify the constant mean curvature surfaces with constant intrinsic curvature in the $3-$dimensional homogenous manifolds $\mathbb{E}(κ, τ)$ and we use the Torralbo-Urbano correspondence to classify the parallel mean curvature surfaces in $\mathbb{S}^2 \times \mathbb{S}^2$ and $\mathbb{H}^2 \time…
Let N be a complete, homogeneously regular Riemannian manifold of dimension greater than 2 and let M be a compact submanifold of N. Let $Σ$ be a compact orientable surface with boundary. We show that for any continuous $f: (Σ, \partial Σ) \rightarrow (N, M)$ for which the induced homomorphism on certain fundamental groups is injective, there exists a branched minimal immersion of $Σ$ solving the free boundary problem $(Σ, \partial Σ) \rightarrow (N, M)$, and minimizing area among all maps which induce the same action on the fundamental groups as f. Furthermore, under certain nonnegativity assu…
We give a necessary and sufficient condition for an n-dimensional Riemannian manifold to be isometrically immersed in S^n x R or H^n x R in terms of its first and second fundamental forms and of the projection of the vertical vector field on its tangent plane. We deduce the existence of a one-parameter family of isometric minimal deformations of a given minimal surface in S^2 x R or H^2 x R, obtained by rotating the shape operator.
We give a generalized Weierstrass formula for a Lorentz surface conformally immersed in the four-dimensional space $\mathbb{R}^{2,2}$ using spinors and Lorentz numbers. We also study the immersions of a Lorentzian surface in {\bf the} Anti-de Sitter space (a pseudo-sphere in $\mathbb{R}^{2,2}$): we give a new spinor representation formula and deduce the conformal description of a flat Lorentzian surface in that space.
We prove that for any open Riemann surface $N,$ natural number $n\geq 3,$ non-constant harmonic map $h:N\to \mathbb{R}^{n-2}$ and holomorphic 2-form $H$ on $N,$ there exists a weakly complete harmonic map $X=(X_j)_{j=1,\ldots,n}:N \to \mathbb{R}^n$ with Hopf differential $H$ and $(X_j)_{j=3,\ldots,n}=h.$ In particular, there exists a complete conformal minimal immersion $Y=(Y_j)_{j=1,\ldots,n}:N \to \mathbb{R}^n$ such that $(Y_j)_{j=3,\ldots,n}=h.$ As a consequence of these results, complete full non-decomposable minimal surfaces with arbitrary conformal structure and whose generalized Gauss m…
Let $M$ be a space-like surface immersed in a 4-dimensional pseudo-Riemannian space form $R^4_2(c)$ with constant sectional curvature $c$ and index two. In the first part of this article, we prove that the Gauss curvature $K$, the normal curvature $K^D$, and mean curvature vector $H$ of $M$ satisfy the general inequality: $K+K^D\geq H,H +c$. In the second part, we investigate space-like minimal surfaces in $R^4_2(c)$ which satisfy the equality case of the inequality identically. Several classification results in this respect are then obtained.
An equivariant minimal surface in $\mathbb{CH}^n$ is a minimal map of the Poincaré disc into $\mathbb{CH}^n$ which intertwines two actions of the fundamental group of a closed surface $Σ$: a Fuchsian representation on the disc and an irreducible action by isometries on $\mathbb{CH}^n$. The moduli space of these can been studied by relating it to the nilpotent cone in each moduli space of $PU(n,1)$-Higgs bundles over the conformal surface corresponding to the map. By providing a necessary condition for points on this nilpotent cone to be smooth this article shows that away from the points corre…
We study sequences $f_k:Σ_k \to \R^n$ of conformally immersed, compact Riemann surfaces with fixed genus and Willmore energy ${\cal W}(f) \leq Λ$. Assume that $Σ_k$ converges to $Σ$ in moduli space, i.e. $ϕ_k^\ast(Σ_k) \to Σ$ as complex structures for diffeomorphisms $ϕ_k$. Then we construct a branched conformal immersion $f:Σ\to \R^n$ and Möbius transformations $σ_k$, such that for a subsequence $σ_k \circ f_k \circ ϕ_k \to f$ weakly in $W^{2,2}_{loc}$ away from finitely many points. For $Λ< 8π$ the map $f$ is unbranched. If the $Σ_k$ diverge in moduli space, then we show $\liminf_{k \to \inf…
In this paper we find, for any arbitrary finite topological type, a compact Riemann surface $\mathcal{M},$ an open domain $M\subset\mathcal{M}$ with the fixed topological type, and a conformal complete minimal immersion $X:M\to\R^3$ which can be extended to a continuous map $X:\bar{M}\to\R^3,$ such that $X_{|\partial M}$ is an embedding and the Hausdorff dimension of $X(\partial M)$ is $1.$ We also prove that complete minimal surfaces are dense in the space of minimal surfaces spanning a finite set of closed curves in $\R^3$, endowed with the topology of the Hausdorff distance.
The family of Willmore immersions from a Riemann surface into $S^{n+2}$ can be divided naturally into the subfamily of Willmore surfaces conformally equivalent to a minimal surface in $\R^{n+2}$ and those which are not conformally equivalent to a minimal surface in $\R^{n+2}$. On the level of their conformal Gauss maps into $Gr_{1,3}(\R^{1,n+3})=SO^+(1,n+3)/SO^+(1,3)\times SO(n)$ these two classes of Willmore immersions into $S^{n+2}$ correspond to conformally harmonic maps for which every image point, considered as a 4-dimensional Lorentzian subspace of $\R^{1,n+3}$, contains a fixed lightlik…
The class of differential equations describing pseudospherical surfaces enjoys important integrability properties which manifest themselves by the existence of infinite hierarchies of conservation laws (both local and non-local) and the presence associated linear problems. It thus contains many important known examples of integrable equations, like the sine-Gordon, Liouville, KdV, mKdV, Camassa-Holm and Degasperis-Procesi equations, and is also home to many new families of integrable equations. Our paper is concerned with the question of the local isometric immersion in ${\bf E}^{3}$ of the ps…
This paper introduces a complex representation for spacelike surfaces in the Lorentz-Minkowski space $L^4$, based in two complex valued functions which can be assumed to be holomorphic or anti-holomorphic. When the immersion is contained in quadrics of $L^4$, the representation then allows us to obtain interesting partial differential equations with holomorphic or anti-holomorphic parameters, within which we find the partial Riccati Equation. Using then theory of holomorphic complex functions we construct explicitly new local solutions for those PDEs together with its associated geometric solu…
Representations of Dirac-Hestenes and Dirac spinor fields via coordinates of surfaces conformally immersed into 4-dimensional complex space are proposed. A relation between time evolution of spinor fields and integrable deformations of surfaces is discussed.
The class of differential equations describing pseudo-spherical surfaces, first introduced by Chern and Tenenblat [3], is characterized by the property that to each solution of a differential equation, within the class, there corresponds a 2-dimensional Riemannian metric of curvature equal to $-1$. The class of differential equations describing pseudo-spherical surfaces carries close ties to the property of complete integrability, as manifested by the existence of infinite hierarchies of conservation laws and associated linear problems. As such, it contains many important known examples of int…
For fixed large genus, we construct families of complete immersed minimal surfaces in R3 with four ends and dihedral symmetries. The families exist for all large genus and at an appropriate scale degenerate to the plane.
A conformal map from a Riemann surface to a Euclidean space of dimension greater than or equal to three is explained by using the Clifford algebra, in a similar fashion to quaternionic holomorphic geometry of surfaces in the Euclidean three- or four-space. The Weierstrass representation, the spin transform, the Darboux transforms, surfaces of parallel mean curvature vector, families of flat connections associated with a harmonic map from a Riemann surface to a sphere are explained. The degree of the spinor bundle associated with a conformal immersion is calculated. Analogues of a polar surface…
We construct new special Lagrangian submanifolds in complex Euclidean space using a pair of minimal Legendrian submanifolds in odd-dimensional spheres and certain Lagrangian surface belonging to a family that can be considered as a generalization of the special Lagrangian surfaces in complex Euclidean plane. Our examples include those invariant under the standard action of SO(p+1)xSO(q+1) on C^n = C^(p+1) x C^(q+1), n=p+q+2.
This is a survey of results on surfaces in noncommutative three-dimensional Lie groups obtained by using the Weierstrass (spinor) representation of surfaces. It is based on the talk given at the conference "Geometry related to the theory of integrable systems" (RIMS, Kyoto, September 2007).
We develop an approach to affine symplectic invariant geometry of Lagrangian surfaces by the method of moving frames. The fundamental invariants of elliptic Lagrangian immersions in affine symplectic four-space are derived together with their integrability equations. The invariant setup is applied to discuss the question of symplectic applicability for elliptic Lagrangian immersions. Explicit examples are considered.
In this paper we give a geometrically invariant spinorial representation of surfaces in four-dimensional space forms. In the Euclidean space, we obtain a representation formula which generalizes the Weierstrass representation formula of minimal surfaces. We also obtain as particular cases the spinorial characterizations of surfaces in $\R^3$ and in $S^3$ given by T. Friedrich and by B. Morel
Spinor fields on surfaces of revolution conformally immersed into 3-dimensional space are considered in the framework of the spinor representations of surfaces. It is shown that a linear problem (a 2-dimensional Dirac equation) related with a modified Veselov- Novikov hierarchy in the case of the surface of revolution reduces to a well-known Zakharov-Shabat system. In the case of one-soliton solution an explicit form of the spinor fields is given by means of linear Bargmann potentials and is expressed via the Jost functions of the Zakharov-Shabat system. It is shown also that integrable deform…
