Relating second order geometry of manifolds through projections and normal sections

Abstract

We use normal sections to relate the curvature locus of regular (resp. singular corank 1) 3-manifolds in $\mathbb{R}^6$ (resp. $\mathbb R^5$) with regular (resp. singular corank 1) surfaces in $\mathbb R^5$ (resp. $\mathbb R^4$). For example we show how to generate a Roman surface by a family of ellipses different to Steiner's way. Furthermore, we give necessary conditions for the 2-jet of the parametrisation of a singular 3-manifold to be in a certain orbit in terms of the topological types of the curvature loci of the singular surfaces obtained as normal sections. We also study the relations between the regular and singular cases through projections. We show there is a commutative diagram of projections and normal sections which relates the curvature loci of the different types of manifolds, and therefore, that the second order geometry of all of them is related. In particular we define asymptotic directions for singular corank 1 3-manifolds in $\mathbb R^5$ and relate them to asymptotic directions of regular 3-manifolds in $\mathbb R^6$ and singular corank 1 surfaces in $\mathbb R^4$.