Bifurcations of Umbilic Points and Related Principal Cycles

Abstract

The simplest patterns of qualitative changes on the configurations of lines of principal curvature} around umbilic points on surfaces whose immersions into $\mathbb R^3$ depend smoothly on a real parameter (codimension one umbilic bifurcations) are described in this paper. Global effects, due to umbilic bifurcations, on these configurations such as the appearance and annihilation of periodic principal lines, called also principal cycles, are also studied here.