We study the equation for improper (parabolic) affine spheres from the view point of contact geometry and provide the generic classification of singularities appearing in geometric solutions to the equation as well as their duals. We also show the results for surfaces of constant Gaussian curvatureand for developable surfaces. In particular we confirm that generic singularities appearing in such a surface are just cuspidal edges and swallowtails.
In this paper we consider convex improper affine maps of the 3-dimensional affine space and classify their singularities. The main tool developed is a generating family with properties that closely resembles the area function for non-convex improper affine maps.
We construct a new representation formula for indefinite improper affine spheres in terms of two para-holomorphic functions and study singularities which appear in this representation formula. As a result, it follows that cuspidal cross caps never appear as the singularities on indefinite improper affine spheres and so on. Comparison with other representation formulae are also studied.
We give a conformal representation for indefinite improper affine spheres which solve the Cauchy problem for their Hessian equation. As consequences, we can characterize their geodesics and obtain a generalized symmetry principle. Then, we classify the helicoidal indefinite improper affine spheres and find a new family with complete non flat affine metric. Moreover, we present interesting examples with singular curves and isolated singularities.
Given a pair of planar curves, one can define its generalized area distance, a concept that generalizes the area distance of a single curve. In this paper, we show that the generalized area distance of a pair of planar curves is an improper indefinite affine spheres with singularities, and, reciprocally, every indefinite improper affine sphere in $\R^3$ is the generalized distance of a pair of planar curves. Considering this representation, the singularity set of the improper affine sphere corresponds to the area evolute of the pair of curves, and this fact allows us to describe a clear geomet…
Improper affine spheres have played an important role in the development of geometric methods for the study of the Hessian one equation. Here, we review most of the advances we have made in this direction during the last twenty years.
The area distance to a convex plane curve is an important concept in computer vision. In this paper we describe a strong link between area distances and improper affine spheres. This link makes possible a better understanding of both theories. The concepts of the theory of affine spheres lead to a new definition of an area distance on the outer part of a convex plane arc. Also, based on the theory of discrete affine spheres, we propose fast algorithms to compute the area distances. On the other hand, area distances provide a good geometrical understanding of improper affine spheres.
The nonzero level sets in $n$-dimensional flat affine space of a translationally homogeneous function are improper affine spheres if and only if the Hessian determinant of the function is equal to a nonzero constant multiple of the $n$th power of the function. The exponentials of the characteristic polynomials of certain left-symmetric algebras yield examples of such functions whose level sets are analogues of the generalized Cayley hypersurface of Eastwood-Ezhov. There are found purely algebraic conditions sufficient for the characteristic polynomial of the left-symmetric algebra to have the …
We give the best possible upper bound for the number of exceptional values of the Lagrangian Gauss map of complete improper affine fronts in the affine three-space. We also obtain the sharp estimate for weakly complete case. As an application of this result, we provide a new and simple proof of the parametric affine Bernstein problem for improper affine spheres. Moreover we get the same estimate for the ratio of canonical forms of weakly complete flat fronts in hyperbolic three-space.
Given a Lagrangian submanifold $L$ of the affine symplectic $2n$-space, one can canonically and uniquely define a center-chord and a special improper affine sphere of dimension $2n$, both of whose sets of singularities contain $L$. Although these improper affine spheres (IAS) always present other singularities away from $L$ (the off-shell singularities studied in our previous paper), they may also present singularities other than $L$ which are arbitrarily close to $L$, the so called singularities "on shell". These on-shell singularities possess a hidden $\mathbb Z_2$ symmetry that is absent fr…
There are exactly two different types of bi-dimensional improper affine spheres: the non-convex ones can be modeled by the center-chord transform of a pair of planar curves while the convex ones can be modeled by a holomorphic map. In this paper, we show that both constructions can be generalized to arbitrary even dimensions: the former class corresponds to the center-chord transform of a pair of Lagrangian submanifolds while the latter is related to special Kähler manifolds. Furthermore, we show that the improper affine spheres obtained in this way are solutions of certain exterior differenti…
We present a representation formula for discrete indefinite affine spheres via loop group factorizations. This formula is derived from the Birkhoff decomposition of loop groups associated with discrete indefinite affine spheres. In particular we show that a discrete indefinite improper affine sphere can be constructed from two discrete plane curves.
We give the complete solution to the local diffeomorphism classification problem of generic singularities which appear in tangent surfaces, in as wider situations as possible. We interpret tangent geodesics as tangent lines whenever a (semi-)Riemannian metric, or, more generally, an affine connection is given in an ambient space of arbitrary dimension. Then, given an immersed curve, or, more generally a directed curve or a frontal curve which has well-defined tangent directions along the curve, we define the tangent surface as the ruled surface by tangent geodesics to the curve. We apply the c…
We prove that the difference between the numbers of positive swallowtails and negative swallowtails of the Blaschke normal map for a given convex surface in affine space is equal to the Euler number of the subset where the affine shape operator has negative determinant.
On an affine flat manifold with coordinates x^j and convex local potential function f, we call the affine Kahler metric f_{ij} dx^i dx^j semi-flat Calabi-Yau if it satisfies det f_{ij} = 1. Recently Gross-Wilson have constructed many such metrics on S^2 minus 24 singularities, as degenerate limits of Calabi-Yau metrics on elliptic K3 surfaces. We construct many more such metrics on S^2, singular at any 6 or more points, and compute the local affine structure near the singularities. The techniques involve affine differential geometry and solving a semilinear PDE on S^2 minus singularities. We a…
We prove that there are just two types of isolated singularities of special Kähler metrics in real dimension two provided the associated holomorphic cubic form does not have essential singularities. We also construct examples of such metrics.
Using standard methods for studying singularities of projections and of contacts, we classify the stable singularities of affine $λ$-equidistants of $n$-dimensional closed submanifolds of $\mathbb R^q$, for $q\leq 2n$, whenever $(2n,q)$ is a pair of nice dimensions.
This is an announcement of the following construction: given an integral affine manifold $B$ with singularities, we build a topological space $X$ which is a torus fibration over $B$. The main new feature of the fibration $X\to B$ is that it has the discriminant in codimension 2.
We construct local models of isolated singularities for special Kähler structures in real dimension two assuming that the associated holomorphic cubic form does not have essential singularities. As an application we compute the holonomy of the flat symplectic connection, which is a part of the special Kähler structure.
We consider in this paper the regularity problem for time-optimal trajectories of a single-input control-affine system on a n-dimensional manifold. We prove that, under generic conditions on the drift and the controlled vector field, any control u associated with an optimal trajectory is smooth out of a countable set of times. More precisely, there exists an integer K, only depending on the dimension n, such that the non-smoothness set of u is made of isolated points, accumulations of isolated points, and so on up to K-th order iterated accumulations.
We study holomorphic foliations with an affine homogeneous transverse structure. We give a friendly characterization of the case of transversely affine foliations in terms of matrix valued pairs of differential forms. This leads naturally to the study of the case of foliations with singularities. A first extension theorem is then proved in the generic singularities framework.
We review properties of affine special Kaehler structures focusing on singularities of such structures in the simplest case of real dimension two. We describe all possible isolated singularities and compute the monodromy of the flat symplectic connection, which is a part of a special Kaehler structure, near a singularity. Beside numerous local examples, we construct continuous families of special Kaehler structures with isolated singularities on the projective line.
For a generic embedding of a smooth closed surface $M$ into $\mathbb R^4$, the subset of $\mathbb R^4$ which is the affine $λ$-equidistant of $M$ appears as the discriminant set of a stable mapping $M \times M \to \mathbb R^4$, hence their stable singularities are $A_k, \, k=2, 3, 4,$ and $C_{2,2}^{\pm}$. In this paper, we characterize these stable singularities of $λ$-equidistants in terms of the bi-local extrinsic geometry of the surface, leading to a geometrical study of the set of weakly parallel points on $M$.
We present in this article a survey of recent results in value distribution theory for the Gauss maps of several classes of immersed surfaces in space forms, for example, minimal surfaces in Euclidean $n$-space ($n$=3 or 4), improper affine spheres in the affine 3-space and flat surfaces in hyperbolic 3-space. In particular, we elucidate the geometric background of their results.
The main goal of this paper is to reveal the geometric meaning of the maximal number of exceptional values of Gauss maps for several classes of immersed surfaces in space forms, for example, complete minimal surfaces in the Euclidean three-space, weakly complete improper affine spheres in the affine three-space and weakly complete flat surfaces in the hyperbolic three-space. For this purpose, we give an effective curvature bound for a specified conformal metric on an open Riemann surface.
A directed curve is a possibly singular curve with well-defined tangent lines along the curve. Then the tangent surface to a directed curve is naturally defined as the ruled surface by tangent geodesics to the curve, whenever any affine connection is endowed with the ambient space. In this paper the local diffeomorphism classification is completed for generic directed curves. Then it turns out that the swallowtails and open swallowtails appear generically for the classification on singularities of tangent surfaces.
We give the complete solution to the local diffeomorphism classification problem of generic singularities which appear in tangent surfaces, in as wider situations as possible. We interpret tangent geodesics as tangent lines whenever a (semi-)Riemannian metric, or, more generally, an affine connection is given in an ambient space of arbitrary dimension. Then, given an immersed curve, we define the tangent surface as the ruled surface by tangent geodesics to the curve. We apply the characterization of frontal singularities found by Kokubu, Rossman, Saji, Umehara, Yamada, and Fujimori, Saji, Umeh…
We reconcile between two classical models of edge-dislocations in solids. The first model, dating from the early 1900s models isolated edge-dislocations as line singularities in locally-Euclidean manifolds. The second model, dating from the 1950s, models continuously-distributed edge-dislocations as smooth manifolds endowed with non-symmetric affine connections (equivalently, endowed with torsion fields). In both models, the solid is modeled as a Weitzenböck manifold. We prove, using a weak notion of convergence [KM15], that the second model can be obtained rigorously as a homogenization limit…
Timelike Thomsen surfaces are timelike minimal surfaces that are also affine minimal. In this paper, we make use of both the Lorentz conformal coordinates and the null coordinates, and their respective representation theorems of timelike minimal surfaces, to obtain a complete global classification of these surfaces and to characterize them using a geometric invariant called lightlike curvatures. As a result, we reveal the relationship between timelike Thomsen surfaces, and timelike minimal surfaces with planar curvature lines. As an application, we give a deformation of null curves preserving …
The total curvature of complex hypersurfaces in $\bC^{n+1}$ and its variation in families appear to depend not only on singularities but also on the behaviour in the neighbourhood of infinity. We find the asymptotic loss of total curvature towards infinity and we express the total curvature and the Gauss-Bonnet defect in terms of singularities and tangencies at infinity.
Any singular level of a completely integrable system (c.i.s.) with non-degenerate singularities has a singular affine structure. We shall show how to construct a simple c.i.s. around the level, having the above affine structure. The cotangent budle of the desingularised level is used to perform the construction, and the c.i.s. obtained looks like the simplest one associated to the affine structure. This method of construction is used to provide several examples of c.i.s. with different kinds of non-degenerate singularities.
We elucidate the geometric background of function-theoretic properties for the Gauss maps of several classes of immersed surfaces in three-dimensional space forms, for example, minimal surfaces in Euclidean three-space, improper affine spheres in the affine three-space, and constant mean curvature one surfaces and flat surfaces in hyperbolic three-space. To achieve this purpose, we prove an optimal curvature bound for a specified conformal metric on an open Riemann surface and give some applications. We also provide unicity theorems for the Gauss maps of these classes of surfaces.
We study the real Monge-Ampère equation in two and three dimensions, both from the point of view of the SYZ conjecture, where solutions give rise to semi-flat Calabi-Yau's and in affine differential geometry, where solutions yield parabolic affine sphere hypersurfaces. We find explicit examples, connect the holomorphic function representation to Hitchin's description of special Lagrangian moduli space, and construct the developing map explicitly for a singularity corresponding to the type $I_n$ elliptic fiber (after hyper-Kähler rotation). Following Baues and Cortés, we show that various types…
We consider flat surfaces and the points of their metric completions, particularly the singularities to which the flat structure of the surface does not extend. The local behavior near a singular point x can be partially described by a topological space L(x) which captures all the ways that x can be "approached linearly". The homeomorphism type of L(x) is an affine invariant. When x is not a cone point or an infinite-angle singularity, we say it is wild; in this case it is necessary to add further metric data to L(x) to get a quantitative description of the surface near x.
