The Geometry of the Generalized Gauss Map

Download or read book The Geometry of the Generalized Gauss Map written by David A. Hoffman and published by American Mathematical Soc.. This book was released on 1980 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper is devoted primarily to the study of properties of the Grassmannian of oriented 2-planes in [double-struck capital]R[superscript]n and to applications of these properties to understanding minimal surfaces in [double-struck capital]R[superscript]n via the generalized Gauss map. The extrinsic geometry of the Grassmannian, when considered as a submanifold of [double-struck capital]CP[superscript]n-2, is investigated, with special emphasis on the nature of the intersection of the Grassmannian with linear subspaces of [double-struck capital]CP[superscript]n-1. These results are the basis for a discussion of minimal surfaces that are degenerate in various ways; understanding the different types of degeneracy and their interrelations is a critical step toward obtaining a clear picture of the basic geometric properties of minimal surfaces in [double-struck capital]R[superscript]n.