On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces
We show how to find a complete set of necessary and sufficient conditions that solve the fixed-parameter local congruence problem of immersions in G-spaces, whether homogeneous or not, provided that a certain kth order jet bundle over the G-space admits a G-invariant local coframe field of constant...
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| Опубліковано в: : | Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry: Methods and Applications |
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Інститут математики НАН України
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| Цитувати: | On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces / J. Cheh // Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry: Methods and Applications. — 2013. — Т. 9. — Бібліогр.: 16 назв. — англ. |
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Digital Library of Periodicals of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine| _version_ | 1860212918851731456 |
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| author | Cheh, J. |
| author_facet | Cheh, J. |
| citation_txt | On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces / J. Cheh // Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry: Methods and Applications. — 2013. — Т. 9. — Бібліогр.: 16 назв. — англ. |
| collection | DSpace DC |
| container_title | Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry: Methods and Applications |
| description | We show how to find a complete set of necessary and sufficient conditions that solve the fixed-parameter local congruence problem of immersions in G-spaces, whether homogeneous or not, provided that a certain kth order jet bundle over the G-space admits a G-invariant local coframe field of constant structure. As a corollary, we note that the differential order of a minimal complete set of congruence invariants is bounded by k+1. We demonstrate the method by rediscovering the speed and curvature invariants of Euclidean planar curves, the Schwarzian derivative of holomorphic immersions in the complex projective line, and equivalents of the first and second fundamental forms of surfaces in R³ subject to rotations.
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| first_indexed | 2025-12-07T18:14:57Z |
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Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry: Methods and Applications SIGMA 9 (2013), 036, 21 pages
On Local Congruence of Immersions
in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces?
Jeongoo CHEH
Department of Mathematics & Statistics, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
E-mail: jeongoocheh@gmail.com
Received May 14, 2012, in final form April 19, 2013; Published online April 28, 2013
http://dx.doi.org/10.3842/SIGMA.2013.036
Abstract. We show how to find a complete set of necessary and sufficient conditions that
solve the fixed-parameter local congruence problem of immersions in G-spaces, whether ho-
mogeneous or not, provided that a certain kth order jet bundle over the G-space admits
a G-invariant local coframe field of constant structure. As a corollary, we note that the
differential order of a minimal complete set of congruence invariants is bounded by k + 1.
We demonstrate the method by rediscovering the speed and curvature invariants of Eu-
clidean planar curves, the Schwarzian derivative of holomorphic immersions in the complex
projective line, and equivalents of the first and second fundamental forms of surfaces in R3
subject to rotations.
Key words: congruence; nonhomogeneous space; equivariant moving frame; constant-
structure invariant coframe field
2010 Mathematics Subject Classification: 53A55; 53B25
Dedicated to my teacher, Professor Peter Olver,
in honor of his sixtieth birthday.
1 Introduction
The equivalence problem of immersed submanifolds of a manifold M is to find a set of com-
putable criteria that determine whether the submanifolds, or open subsets thereof in their own
topology, are equivalent or not under the action of a prescribed symmetry group1 G of M . Recall
that a manifold M on which a (local) Lie group G acts is called a G-space. For a homogeneous
G-space M , there is a classical solution to the equivalence problem, known as Cartan’s moving
frame method, [4, 5, 7, 15], that consists of lifting the submanifolds into the principal H-bundle G
over M , where H < G is the stabilizer of a point of M , to pull the Maurer–Cartan forms of G
back down to the submanifolds and then use an argument resembling Cartan’s technique of the
graph, [16], that is Cartan’s rendition of the Frobenius theorem.
To our knowledge, however, little has been known of any general solution for the case of
submanifolds of nonhomogeneous spaces. One of the obvious obstacles in one’s attempt to apply
the classical method to the case of a nonhomogeneous space M is the unavailability of any
natural manifestation of G as a principal bundle over M , unlike in the case of homogeneous
spaces.
In [2, 3], remarks (for example, Theorem 7.2 in [3]) have been made on a solution to a certain
type of equivalence problems of submanifolds of a space where its symmetry group may not act
transitively. Its method involves using an extended invariant coframe field that consists of an
?This paper is a contribution to the Special Issue “Symmetries of Differential Equations: Frames, Invariants
and Applications”. The full collection is available at http://www.emis.de/journals/SIGMA/SDE2012.html
1The symmetry group of a space is by definition the group of all admissible transformations that are typi-
cally characterized to preserve, for instance, certain geometric structures on the space; conversely, prescribing a
symmetry group to a space amounts to declaring the class of admissible transformations of the space.
mailto:jeongoocheh@gmail.com
http://dx.doi.org/10.3842/SIGMA.2013.036
http://www.emis.de/journals/SIGMA/SDE2012.html
2 J. Cheh
invariant coframe field along with a complete system of differential invariants. Although the
papers dealt with equivalence problems somewhat different2 from those that we will study in
our own paper, they have stimulated our curiosity and motivation by drawing our attention
to the article [5] that studied equivalence problems for submanifolds immersed exclusively in
homogeneous spaces.
Besides the issue of whether the ambient space is homogeneous or nonhomogeneous, there is
another technicality related to reparametrization of submanifolds. Suppose that ψ1, ψ2 : X−→M
are two submanifolds of a G-space M . One type of equivalence problem is to determine whether
there exits an element g ∈ G that transforms one image set ψ1(X) to the other image set ψ2(X),
i.e., g(ψ1(X)) = ψ2(X). Since this problem is concerned only with the images of the subman-
ifold immersions, reparametrizing a submanifold, such as ψ1 ◦ φ : X −→ M with a (local)
diffeomorphism φ : X −→ X, should not change the final answer of the equivalence problem.
The equivalence problem allowing reparametrization of submanifolds has been studied exten-
sively, for instance, in [11]. The overall idea of the solution for this problem largely consists of
two parts. First, find a (minimal) set of differential invariants that generate, through invari-
ant differentiation, the entire algebra of differential invariants. Then restrict the differential
invariants of up to a certain enough order to the given submanifolds to obtain signature sub-
manifolds, which in turn leads to the final question on overlapping submanifolds. We should
note the theoretical development in a novel and systematic method of finding a generating set
of differential invariants under finite- or infinite-dimensional Lie pseudo-group actions, [13, 14],
and its applications to a number of different geometries, [6, 10, 12].
The other type of equivalence problem is concerned with not only the images of the immersions
but also the immersions themselves as well. In other words, even when the images may be
regarded equivalent in the previous sense (that we call variable-parameter congruence) of allowing
reparametrization of immersed submanifolds, if one of the submanifolds is indeed nontrivially
reparametrized, the immersed submanifolds are no longer to be considered equivalent in the new
sense. It is this type of more restrictive (and hence easier) equivalence problem that we will
study in our paper, and we call it the fixed-parameter congruence problem. The precise meaning
of congruence is as follows:
Definition 1.1. Suppose that ψ1, ψ2 : X −→ M are immersions of a manifold X into a G-
space M . We say that ψ1 and ψ2 are congruent at x0 ∈ X if there exist an open neighborhood
U ⊂ X of x0 and a transformation g ∈ G such that ψ1(x) = g ◦ ψ2(x) for all x ∈ U .
The main goal of our paper is to provide a theoretical justification of a method that we
devised for solving the local congruence problem of immersed submanifolds of a G-space that
may or may not be homogeneous. In essence, our method is a hybrid of the classical Cartan’s
method, [4, 5, 7, 15], and the method of invariant coframe fields constructed by equivariant
moving frames, [2, 3, 8, 14]. On the one hand, we follow the classical idea of utilizing Cartan’s
technique of the graph which provides a means to solve the equivalence problem by examining
certain invariant coframe fields; on the other hand, we use the machinery of equivariant moving
frames, as developed by Olver et al., to construct particular invariant coframe fields that are
of constant structure (Definition 4.2). One of our main results is Theorem 4.3 where we give
a proof to the effect that we can use an invariant coframe field of constant structure, instead of
the unavailable Maurer–Cartan forms of homogeneous spaces required by the classical method,
to completely determine congruence of immersions whether the ambient space is homogeneous
or not. We regard our result as extending and generalizing to quite arbitrary G-spaces the
key lemmas proved in [5] that solved congruence problems in homogeneous spaces. A notable
2Shortly, we will explain two different types of equivalence problems: the variable-parameter and fixed-
parameter types.
On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces 3
corollary to Theorem 4.3 is that if the prolongation of the (verticalized3) action of the group
becomes locally free at order k, then a minimal complete set of congruence invariants should be
of order k + 1 or less.
We illustrate our method by finding congruence conditions of some specific well-known
examples, which will thus help attest to the validity of our method. Through the first few
sections of the paper, we explain key ideas of our method with the example of the congruence
problem of curves in R2 under the action of the orientation-preserving rigid motion group SE(2),
whereby we obtain speed and curvature congruence invariants of curves. The last section of the
paper focuses on three examples. We rediscover the Schwarzian derivative as a congruence
invariant of holomorphic immersions, or biholomorphisms, in the complex projective line CP1
under the action of the projective special linear group PSL(2,C) or alternatively in the complex
plane C under the action of linear fractional, or Möbius, transformations. The next example
obtains a complete system of congruence invariants, including equivalents to the first and second
fundamental forms of surfaces in R3, under the intransitive action of the rotation group SO(3).
The last example computes congruence conditions for surfaces in R3 under another intransitive
action of a certain subgroup of a Heisenberg group.
Throughout the paper, all manifolds and maps are assumed to be smooth, M always denotes
a smooth manifold, and G an r-dimensional local Lie group acting on M and other manifolds.
Furthermore, since we are concerned only with local equivalence, by a manifold will we actually
mean a connected open subset thereof that is small enough to suit the context, and likewise by G
a sufficiently small connected open neighborhood of its identity element. However, whenever
serious confusion may be possible, we will explicitly remind ourselves of the local nature of
various spaces and maps involved.
2 Verticalization and prolongation of group actions
To study the effects of group actions on immersed submanifolds of M , we begin by treating the
submanifolds as (local) sections of the product bundle X×M −→ X where X denotes the space
of parameters of the submanifolds or the domain of the maps immersing the submanifolds. This
viewpoint establishes a one-to-one correspondence γ between the set of immersions f : X −→M
and the set of sections γ(f) defined by
γ(f) : X −→ X ×M, γ(f)(x) = (x, f(x)).
The action of G on M induces an obvious natural action on X ×M :
Definition 2.1. The verticalized action of G is defined to be
G× (X ×M) −→ X ×M, (g, (x, u)) 7−→ (x, g · u).
It is this action of G on X × M that we will later prolong to the jet bundles Jk(X,M),
k = 0, 1, 2, . . . , of local sections of the bundle X ×M −→ X.
Remark 2.2. In the literature, if M itself is a fibered manifold, it is customary, for the sake of
computation in local coordinates, to consider the jet bundles JkM of only those submanifolds
of M that are transverse to the fibers of M . Our construction of the bundles Jk(X,M), on
the other hand, contains prolongations, [9, 11], of all submanifolds of M , including even those
that may not be transverse to the fibers of M . Furthermore, the local coordinate description
of the prolonged action of G on Jk(X,M) turns out much simpler than that on JkM since the
verticalized action of G on X ×M does not affect base (X) coordinates at all.
3See Definition 2.1.
4 J. Cheh
Let (x1, . . . , xp) and (u1, . . . , un) denote local coordinate systems on manifolds X and M ,
respectively. We write (x1, . . . , xp, u1, . . . , un, . . . , uαJ , . . . ), where α = 1, 2, . . . , n and J is a sym-
metric multi-index over {1, 2, . . . , p}, for the standard bundle-adapted local coordinate system
on Jk(X,M). Then, for g ∈ G and z ∈ Jk(X,M), while the base coordinates of g · z remain
unchanged:
xi(g · z) = xi(z), i = 1, 2, . . . , p,
all the fiber coordinates uαJ (g · z) are found by iterating the recursive formula
uαJ,i(g · z) = Di
(
uαJ (g · z)
)
, α = 1, 2, . . . , n, i = 1, 2, . . . , p, (1)
where
Di :=
∂
∂xi
+
∑
|J |≥0
n∑
α=1
uαJ,i
∂
∂uαJ
, i = 1, 2, . . . , p,
are the coordinate-wise total differential operators on the infinite-order Jet bundle J∞(X,M).
For more details on calculus on jet bundles and related notations, refer, for example, to the
resources [1, 9, 11].
Example 2.3 (Euclidean plane). Consider the Euclidean plane (R2,SE(2)) under the transitive
action of the group SE(2) := SO(2)nR2 of orientation-preserving rigid motions. Let θ ∈ R and
(a, b) ∈ R2 be the parameters of SE(2) such that, for (u, v) ∈ R2, the action is given by
(θ, a, b) · (u, v) 7−→ (û, v̂),
where
û = u cos θ − v sin θ + a, v̂ = u sin θ + v cos θ + b.
Let x and (u, v) denote the local coordinate systems on R and R2, respectively. Then the jet
bundle J1(R,R2) of local sections γ(ψ) of the product bundle R×R2 −→ R, where ψ : R −→ R2
is a locally defined immersion, has the standard local coordinate system (x, u, v, ux, vx). In these
coordinates, the verticalized action of SE(2) on R× R2 = J0(R,R2) is given by the rule
(θ, a, b) · (x, u, v) 7−→ (x, û, v̂)
and its prolonged action A : SE(2)× J1(R,R2) −→ J1(R,R2) by
(θ, a, b) · (x, u, v, ux, vx) 7−→ (x, û, v̂, ûx, v̂x)
where, according to (1),
ûx = Dxû = ux cos θ − vx sin θ, v̂x = Dxv̂ = ux sin θ + vx cos θ.
3 Review of equivariant moving frames
The purpose of this section is to review and use equivariant moving frames as part of the tools
that we will need later on to solve congruence problems. Our main references are [2, 3], and we
will provide proofs for all our claims whenever they do not have exact counterparts proved in
the references.
In general, two special types of maps between G-spaces stand out in the business of con-
structing invariant differential forms. Let ψ : M −→ N be a locally defined map between two
G-spaces M and N .
On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces 5
Definition 3.1. Let V ⊂ G be an open neighborhood of the identity element of G. The map ψ
is said to be G-invariant if
g∗ψ := ψ ◦ g = ψ
for all g ∈ V such that ψ ◦ g is well-defined; and G-equivariant if
ψ(g · x) = g · ψ(x) (2)
for all g ∈ V and x ∈M such that the both sides of the equation (2) are well defined.
Remark 3.2. Throughout the paper, all our constructions, without exception, of maps, diffe-
rential forms, group actions, etc. will be done locally. To avoid the trite use of the word local and
relevant open subset notations, we henceforth impose the blanket assumption that all domains of
maps should be understood to be freely replaceable by appropriately small open subsets thereof
in order to make sense of the expressions in which they are considered. Thus, for example,
we will simply say that a map ψ is G-equivariant instead of more precisely saying that ψ is
V -equivariant for an open neighborhood V ⊂ G of the identity element of G, and this is what
is reflected in Definition 3.1.
Proposition 3.3. If ψ is G-invariant and ω is any differential form on N , then ψ∗ω is a G-
invariant differential form on M . On the other hand, if ψ is G-equivariant and ω is a G-invariant
differential form on N , then ψ∗ω is a G-invariant differential form on M .
Proof. If ψ : M −→ N is G-invariant, then for any g ∈ G and any differential form ω on N ,
g∗(ψ∗ω) = (ψ ◦ g)∗ω = ψ∗ω = ω, showing that ψ∗ω is G-invariant. The proof for the case of
equivariant maps is similar. �
Thus, when N is the Lie group G that always comes with a canonical family of invariant
differential forms, (that is, Maurer–Cartan forms), a G-equivariant map M −→ G plays a key
role in producing invariant differential forms on M , and thus has acquired a special recognition
in [3].
Definition 3.4. Under an action of G on itself, a locally defined G-equivariant map ρ : M−→G,
is called an (equivariant) moving frame. Associated to ρ is the locally defined (equivariant)
moving frame section
σ : M −→ G×M, z 7−→ (ρ(z), z),
of the trivial product bundle G×M −→M .
When the G-action on M is locally free, a typical procedure for obtaining a moving frame
begins by choosing a local cross-section Γ transverse to the G-orbits in M and then defining
a map ρ : M −→ G by requiring ρ(z) · z ∈ Γ for z ∈ M . If the G-action on M is a left action4
and if G acts on itself by the rule g ·h 7−→ hg−1, then the map ρ defined in such a way is indeed
a moving frame satisfying the condition: for all z ∈ M and g ∈ G, ρ(g · z) = ρ(z)g−1 whenever
the two sides are well defined. If we have a right G-action on M and if we define the right action
of G on itself by g ·h 7−→ g−1h, then the map ρ constructed above is again a moving frame, this
time satisfying ρ(g · z) = g−1ρ(z).
As long as G acts on itself locally freely (for example, via left or right translation), local
freeness of the group action on M is also a necessary condition for the existence of a moving
frame.
4An action G ×M −→ M , (g, z) 7−→ g · z, is called a left action if g1 · (g2 · z) = (g1g2) · z for g1, g2 ∈ G and
z ∈M ; or a right action if g1 · (g2 · z) = (g2g1) · z, where g1g2 and g2g1 simply signify the multiplication structure
of the group G.
6 J. Cheh
Theorem 3.5. Let M be a G-space and G act on itself locally freely. Then a moving frame
ρ : M −→ G exists if and only if the action of G on M is locally free.
Proof. If G acts on M locally freely, then we can use the method of choosing a cross-section
to the group orbits to construct a moving frame as explained above.
Conversely, suppose that ρ : M −→ G is a moving frame. Let z ∈ M be given. There exists
an open neighborhood V of the identity element e in G such that, for any h ∈ V , ρ(h·z) = h·ρ(z).
Now, with respect to the action of G on itself, which is a locally free action, the stabilizer of
ρ(z) ∈ G, Gρ(z) := {g ∈ G | g · ρ(z) = ρ(z)}, is discrete, and thus there is an open neighborhood
W of e in G such that W ∩Gρ(z) = {e}. Let Gz := {h ∈ G |h · z = z} be the stabilizer of z. If
h ∈ (V ∩W )∩Gz, then h · ρ(z) = ρ(h · z) = ρ(z), implying that h ∈W ∩Gρ(z), and thus h = e.
This means that Gz is discrete. Therefore, the action of G on M is locally free. �
Remark 3.6. We will adhere to the usual method of using cross-sections to construct moving
frames, and G is assumed acting on itself by the rule g · h 7−→ hg−1 as all our examples will
involve only left G-actions on M . Thus when it comes to discussing G-invariant differential forms
on G, such as Maurer–Cartan forms, their invariance shall be meant to be right-invariance unless
explicitly specified otherwise.
Now we continue with the previous example and demonstrate how to construct a moving
frame.
Example 3.7 (Euclidean plane). Recall from Example 2.3 the prolonged action A : SE(2) ×
J1(R,R2) −→ J1(R,R2) of the group G := SE(2) on M := J1(R,R2) in local coordinates:
(θ, a, b) · (x, u, v, ux, vx) = (x, û, v̂, ûx, v̂x). We choose the cross-section to the SE(2)-orbits in
J1(R,R2), characterized by the (normalization) equations:
A∗u = û = 0, A∗v = v̂ = 0, A∗ux = ûx = 0. (3)
These equations are solved to find the group parameters
θ = tan−1
(
ux
vx
)
, a =
vux − uvx√
u2x + v2x
, b =
−uux − vvx√
u2x + v2x
,
that uniquely determine a group element in a sufficiently small neighborhood of the identity
element of SE(2). Then the corresponding moving frame ρ : J1(R,R2) −→ SE(2) is given by
ρ(x, u, v, ux, vx) =
(
tan−1
(
ux
vx
)
,
vux − uvx√
u2x + v2x
,
−uux − vvx√
u2x + v2x
)
and its moving frame section σ : J1(R,R2) −→ SE(2)× J1(R,R2) is
σ(x, u, v, ux, vx) =
(
ρ(x, u, v, ux, vx), x, u, v, ux, vx
)
.
The existence of a moving frame implies that SE(2) acts on J1(R,R2) locally freely according
to Theorem 3.5.
In general, let us denote the action of G on M by A : G×M −→M , (g, z) 7−→ g ·z := A(g, z),
and define an action of G on G×M by
G× (G×M) −→ G×M, (g, (h, z)) 7−→ (g · h, g · z),
where g · h reflects any locally free action of G on itself such as g · h 7−→ hg−1. Suppose that
ρ : M −→ G is a moving frame, σ : M −→ G ×M its associated moving frame section, and
π : G×M −→M the canonical projection.
On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces 7
Proposition 3.8. The maps σ and π are G-equivariant, and A is G-invariant. Also the map
ι := A ◦ σ : M −→M is G-invariant.
Proof. We will show that the moving frame section σ : M −→ G×M is equivariant. The other
claims about π, A, and ι can all be proved in a similar fashion. Thus suppose that g ∈ G and
z ∈M . Then σ(g · z) = (ρ(g · z), g · z) = (g · ρ(z), g · z) = g · (ρ(z), z) = g · σ(z). Therefore σ is
G-equivariant. �
All these maps are put together in the following diagram for reference.
G×M
π
{{
A
$$
M
σ
77
ι
//M
The invariantization operator ι∗ : Ω•(M) −→ Ω•(M), where Ω•(M) :=
⊕dimM
k=0 Ωk(M) denotes
the exterior algebra of differential forms on M , turns, thanks to Proposition 3.3, any differential
form on M into an invariant differential form, and thus occupies a central position in many
works in the literature on the theory and applications of equivariant moving frames.
Example 3.9 (Euclidean plane). The SE(2)-action defined in Example 2.3 on J1(R,R2),
A : SE(2)× J1(R,R2) −→ J1(R,R2),
pulls back the coordinate functions (x, u, v, ux, vx) of J1(R,R2) to SE(2)-invariant functions
A∗x = x, A∗u = u cos θ − v sin θ + a, A∗v = u sin θ + v cos θ + b,
A∗ux = ux cos θ − vx sin θ, A∗vx = ux sin θ + vx cos θ
on SE(2) × J1(R,R2). Pulling these functions further back by the moving frame section σ :
J1(R,R2) −→ SE(2)× J1(R,R2) results in SE(2)-invariant functions on J1(R,R2):
σ∗A∗x = ι∗x = x, σ∗A∗u = ι∗u = 0, σ∗A∗v = ι∗v = 0,
σ∗A∗ux = ι∗ux = 0, σ∗A∗vx = ι∗vx =
√
u2x + v2x.
In connection with certain coframe fields that we will construct later on (Theorem 4.7), we make
the observation that the invariantization of the coordinate functions u, v, ux that were used in
setting up the normalization equations (3), necessarily and trivially, yields constants (same as
the ones put on the right-hand sides of the normalization equations).
4 Congruence of immersions
In this section, we give an answer to our key question: what are the conditions that immersions
must satisfy in order for them to be congruent under the action of a Lie group on their ambient
space?
First of all, the very definition of prolongation of group actions implies that one can replace
a given congruence problem of immersions by a prolonged congruence problem without changing
final solutions. More specifically,
Lemma 4.1. Two immersions ψ, φ : X −→ M are congruent at x0 ∈ X if and only if, for
each k = 0, 1, . . . , their prolonged graphs jkγ(ψ), jkγ(φ) : X −→ Jk(X,M) are locally congruent
at x0 where G acts on Jk(X,M) by verticalized prolongation.
8 J. Cheh
Suppose that {ω1, ω2, . . . , ωn} is a coframe field on M . The coefficients f ijk in their structure
equations
dωi = −1
2
n∑
j,k=1
f ijkω
j ∧ ωk, i = 1, 2, . . . , n,
where f ijk + f ikj = 0, j, k = 1, 2, . . . , n, are, in general, non-constant functions on M . They do
become constants if, for example, the coframe field is the Maurer–Cartan coframe field on a Lie
group or its generalization on a homogeneous space. Our solution to the congruence problem
will rely on a particular kind of invariant coframe fields that have constant structure functions.
Definition 4.2. A coframe field on M is said to be of constant structure if all its structure
functions are constant functions.
The following theorem, one of our main results of the paper, finds a necessary and sufficient
condition for immersions to be congruent when there exists on the ambient G-space a G-invariant
coframe field of constant structure.
Theorem 4.3. Suppose that an n-dimensional G-space M has a G-invariant coframe field {ωi}
of constant structure. Let ψ, φ : X −→ M be immersions. Then ψ and φ are congruent at
x0 ∈ X if and only if there exist g ∈ G and x0 ∈ X such that ψ(x0) = g◦φ(x0) and ψ∗ωi = φ∗ωi,
i = 1, 2, . . . , n, on a neighborhood of x0.
Proof. The proof for the “only if” direction is trivial. To prove the “if” direction, let πX and πM
denote the canonical projections of X ×M onto the factors X and M , respectively. Suppose
that {Cijk} are the structure constants of the coframe field {ωi} so that for each i = 1, 2, . . . , n,
dωi = −1
2
n∑
j,k=1
Cijkω
j ∧ ωk,
where Cijk + Cikj = 0, j, k = 1, 2, . . . , n. The maps that we are looking at are shown in the
following diagram
X ×M
πX
{{
πM
$$
X
ψ
//M
Consider the ideal I := 〈π∗Mωi−π∗Xψ∗ωi〉 ⊂ Ω•(X×M) generated algebraically by the one-forms
{π∗Mωi − π∗Xψ∗ωi}. Then, for each i = 1, 2, . . . , n,
d
(
π∗Mω
i − π∗Xψ∗ωi
)
= −1
2
n∑
j,k=1
Cijkπ
∗
Mω
j ∧ π∗Mωk +
1
2
n∑
j,k=1
Cijkπ
∗
Xψ
∗ωj ∧ π∗Xψ∗ωk
= −1
2
n∑
j,k=1
Cijkπ
∗
Mω
j ∧ π∗Mωk +
1
2
n∑
j,k=1
Cijkπ
∗
Mω
j ∧ π∗Xψ∗ωk
− 1
2
n∑
j,k=1
Cijkπ
∗
Mω
j ∧ π∗Xψ∗ωk +
1
2
n∑
j,k=1
Cijkπ
∗
Xψ
∗ωj ∧ π∗Xψ∗ωk
= −1
2
n∑
j,k=1
Cijkπ
∗
Mω
j ∧
(
π∗Mω
k − π∗Xψ∗ωk
)
On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces 9
− 1
2
n∑
j,k=1
Cijk
(
π∗Mω
j − π∗Xψ∗ωj
)
∧ π∗Xψ∗ωk ≡ 0 mod I.
This shows that I is a differential ideal. Since, by assumption, g ◦φ(x0) = ψ(x0) for some g ∈ G
and x0 ∈ X, and since (g ◦ φ)∗ωi = φ∗g∗ωi = φ∗ωi = ψ∗ωi, the uniqueness result in Cartan’s
technique of the graph, or Theorem 2.34 in [16], implies that g ◦φ(x) = ψ(x) for all x in an open
neighborhood of x0. This completes the proof. �
Therefore this theorem essentially turns the congruence problem of immersions into the prob-
lem of constructing an invariant coframe field of constant structure. In general, of course, there
is no guarantee that a given G-space M will admit any invariant coframe field, let alone one of
constant structure. However, in many situations, a prolonged verticalized action of G on a jet
bundle Jk(X,M) may become locally free for some sufficiently large order k, which will then
lead to the construction of a kth order moving frame and hence an invariant coframe field on the
jet bundle (to be explained below). Once we have in particular a constant-structure invariant
coframe field constructed on Jk(X,M), we can solve, thanks to Lemma 4.1, the original con-
gruence problem of immersions ψ : X −→M by solving, instead, the congruence problem of the
prolonged graphs jkγ(ψ) : X −→ Jk(X,M) of the immersions ψ. The following diagram depicts
how the immersion ψ in the congruence problem is converted to a prolonged immersion jkγ(ψ)
of its graph γ(ψ) so that we can try our method of using a constant-structure invariant coframe
field on Jk(X,M)
X
ψ //M
++ Jk(X,M)
��
X
jkγ(ψ)
66
γ(ψ)
// X ×M
Remark 4.4. We offer a brief perspective, for the reader familiar with the inceptive paper [5],
on how our result compares to some part of that work. Griffiths in [5] bases his foundational
lemmas determining congruence, proved in the paper’s first section, upon the crucial transitivity
assumption that any two smooth maps f and f̃ into a Lie group G (or a homogeneous G-space)
are related by a G-valued function h so that f(x) = h(x)f̃(x) for all x in the domain of the
maps. This transitivity assumption is conspicuously absent in our take on the problem, and
thus Griffiths’ result is subsumed as a special case of our more general result, Theorem 4.3. On
the other hand, our constant-structure invariant coframe fields can be interpreted as a natural
extension to arbitrary G-spaces, homogeneous or not, of Maurer–Cartan coframes (which are
always of constant structure) that Griffiths uses to gauge the difference h between the two
maps f and f̃ .
While Theorem 4.3 does not assume transitivity of the action of G on M , and thus can solve
the congruence problem of immersions in both homogeneous and nonhomogeneous spaces within
one coherent framework, its method requires that the invariant coframe field be of constant
structure. Therefore, we proceed to discuss the existence and construction of such a coframe
field. We should note that the basic ideas in the following lemmas have originated from the
references [2, 3].
Let πG : G×M −→ G denote the canonical projection (g, z) 7−→ g. Let (u1, . . . , un) be the
local coordinate system of M , and {µj ∈ Ω1(G) | j = 1, . . . , r} the Maurer–Cartan coframe field
of G.
Lemma 4.5. The pulled-back one-forms{
A∗dui, π∗Gµj ∈ Ω1(G×M) | i = 1, . . . , n; j = 1, . . . , r
}
(4)
form a G-invariant coframe field of G×M .
10 J. Cheh
Proof. The map A is G-invariant and πG is G-equivariant. (Recall Proposition 3.8.) Thus, by
Proposition 3.3, the one-forms (4) are G-invariant.
To prove that (4) is a coframe field ofG×M , we first note thatA is a submersion since, for any
z ∈M and v ∈ TzM , we can take w := (0, v) ∈ TeG⊕TzM ∼= T(e,z)(G×M) so that dA(w) = v.
Thus, {A∗dui | i = 1, . . . , n} are linearly independent at every point on G × M . Likewise,
{π∗Gµj | j = 1, . . . , r} are linearly independent on G ×M since πG is a submersion as well. To
show that the union {A∗dui, π∗Gµj | i = 1, . . . , n; j = 1, . . . , r} is also linearly independent, it
suffices to show that, for any ξ ∈ T ∗G, the equation π∗Gξ =
∑n
i=1 ciA∗dui, ci ∈ R, forces ci = 0
for all i = 1, . . . , n. Indeed, for any given z ∈ M , take any w = (0, v) ∈ T(e,z)(G × M) so
that dπG(w) = 0. Then the equation (π∗Gξ)(w) =
( n∑
i=1
ciA∗dui
)
(w) becomes 0 = ξ(dπG(w)) =
n∑
i=1
cidu
i(dA(w)) =
n∑
i=1
cidu
i(v). Since this equation holds for all v ∈ TzM and all z ∈ M , it
reduces to 0 =
n∑
i=1
cidu
i on M . Thus ci = 0 for all i = 1, . . . , n. Therefore {A∗dui, π∗Gµj} are
linearly independent at every point of G ×M . Finally, since dim(G ×M) = r + n, the set
{A∗dui, π∗Gµj | i = 1, . . . , n; j = 1, . . . , r} must be a coframe field of G×M . �
In the following is shown the prime role in our paper of moving frames and their associated
sections, which is to construct constant-structure invariant coframe fields on M
Lemma 4.6. If the G-action on M is locally free, then there exists on M an invariant coframe
field of constant structure.
Proof. Suppose that σ : M −→ G×M is a moving frame section whose existence is guaranteed
by Theorem 3.5. We pull back the G-invariant coframe field (4) of G×M by σ to M to obtain
σ∗A∗dui, i = 1, . . . , n, σ∗π∗Gµ
j , j = 1, . . . , r. (5)
First, note that, since σ is an embedding, the one-forms (5), when evaluated at any point z ∈M ,
should span the cotangent space T ∗zM . Thus n = dimM of the n + r one-forms (5) will form
a (local) coframe field of M . Also, G-invariance of (5) follows from the fact that the one-forms
are the pull-backs of the invariant one-forms (4) by the G-equivariant map σ. Finally, the
invariant coframe field is of constant structure since d(σ∗A∗dui) = ddσ∗A∗ui = 0, i = 1, . . . , n,
and d(σ∗π∗Gµ
j) = σ∗π∗Gdµj , j = 1, . . . , r, where the Maurer–Cartan coframe field {µj} of G is
of constant structure. �
Recall that, for our usual initial step in constructing a moving frame, we specify a cross-
section Γ to the G-orbits in M by setting up r = dimG normalization equations A∗uiκ = cκ,
κ = 1, . . . , r, where we typically choose to use constants for cκ. An implication of the constants cκ
is that r of the one-forms (5) will necessarily vanish for σ∗A∗duiκ = dcκ = 0. Therefore this
typical approach gives rise to the following final formula for constructing a constant-structure
invariant coframe field of M . We continue to assume that G acts on M locally freely and that ui,
i = 1, . . . , n, are the local coordinate functions of M .
Theorem 4.7. Suppose that, in the course of constructing a moving frame, the r coordinate
functions ui, i = 1, . . . , r, of M are normalized to constants; that is, ι∗ui = σ∗A∗ui = ci,
constant. Then M has the following constant-structure G-invariant coframe field:
σ∗A∗dui = dσ∗A∗ui = dι∗ui, i = r + 1, . . . , n, σ∗π∗Gµ
j = ρ∗µj , j = 1, . . . , r. (6)
Remark 4.8. Note that, if a coordinate function uκ of M is normalized to a constant cκ in the
process of choosing a cross-section Γ to the group orbits, then dι∗uκ = dcκ = 0. Thus, even if
On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces 11
we implement the formula (5) for every coordinate function ui, i = 1, . . . , n, it will not cause any
problem in constructing our desired constant-structure invariant coframe field, apart from the
potential unexciting prospect of having to spend some extra time computing for those vanishing
phantom differential forms.
Now suppose that (x1, x2, . . . , xp) are local coordinate functions on X and that a constant-
structure invariant coframe field
{
ωi =
n∑
j=1
f ijdu
j | i = 1, 2, . . . , n
}
exists on M with some
functions f ij : M −→ R. Then, assuming p = dimX, the pull-backs
ψ∗ωi =
p∑
l=1
n∑
j=1
(f ij ◦ ψ)
∂(uj ◦ ψ)
∂xl
dxl, i = 1, 2, . . . , n,
by congruent immersions ψ : X −→ M must all agree by Theorem 4.3. In turn, these pulled-
back forms will agree if and only if the differential functions
{ n∑
j=1
f iju
j
l
}
, where ujl are the local
coordinate functions on the fibers of the bundle J1(X,M) −→ X ×M , agree when pulled back
by the immersions ψ. Thus we have proved:
Lemma 4.9. The differential functions
{ n∑
j=1
f iju
j
l | i = 1, . . . , n; l = 1, . . . , p
}
form a complete
system of congruence invariants for immersions from X to M .
Remark 4.10. In general, the complete system
{ n∑
j=1
f iju
j
l
}
will not be functionally indepen-
dent, and thus there will be some functional redundancy in the system, as is indeed the case
with most of the examples in our paper. Also, a subset consisting of only functionally inde-
pendent invariants may still be further reduced to an even smaller subset consisting of lower
order differential invariants by employing the idea of invariant differential operators, [11], that
can be used to eliminate differential redundancy. Related to this point, it should be noted
that the case of variable-parameter equivalence problems has in recent years witnessed major
advances made by Olver et al. both in the general approach to obtaining (minimal) generating
systems of differential invariants and in its applications to some specific geometric settings;
see [6, 10, 12, 13]. In our present paper, we will not venture into this intricate question of mini-
malizing systems of invariants; the interested reader should instead consult the cited references.
In general, a group action on M may not be locally free, and so a constant-structure invariant
coframe field may not be available onM . However, if we prolong the verticalized action onX×M
of the group to a jet bundle Jk(X,M) of a sufficiently high order k, the resulting action may
become locally free essentially thanks to, intuitively speaking, the wider space that mitigates the
crowding of the group orbits. Once we have a locally free action on a jet bundle Jk(X,M), we
can apply the ideas of Theorems 4.3 and 4.7 to construct a constant-structure invariant coframe
field on Jk(X,M) and solve the congruence problem.
The following result tells us basically how many invariants at most, in terms of their diffe-
rential order, we should require to resolve a congruence problem.
Corollary 4.11. Suppose that a kth order jet bundle Jk(X,M) admits a constant-structure
G-invariant coframe field. Then the differential order of a minimal complete set of congruence
invariants is bounded by k + 1.
Proof. Suppose that
{ p∑
l=1
hαl dxl,
k∑
|J |=0
n∑
j=1
f I,Ji,j dujJ
}
(where α = 1, . . . , p, i = 1, . . . , n, and
I is a symmetric multi-index over {1, . . . , p} of order up to k) is a constant-structure invariant
12 J. Cheh
coframe field on Jk(X,M). Note that all the differential functions hαl , xl, f I,Ji,j , and ujJ are of
order up to k. Then, by Lemma 4.9 and with the understanding that M and ψ in the proof of
the lemma are now replaced respectively by Jk(X,M) and jkγ(ψ), a minimal complete set of
congruence invariants must be a subset of
{
hαl ,
k∑
|J |=0
n∑
j=1
f I,Ji,j u
j
J,l
}
which is of differential order
k + 1 or less. �
Thus, for example, if the verticalized prolongation of the group action becomes locally free
at order k, then the conclusion of the corollary holds true.
Remark 4.12. Note that fixed-parameter congruence is a stronger condition than variable-
parameter congruence. Thus, Corollary 4.11 implies in the case of variable-parameter congruen-
ce problems that, under the assumptions of the corollary, the differential order of a minimal
complete set of variable-parameter congruence invariants is also bounded by k + 1.
Once a constant-structure invariant coframe field {ωi} exists, any other invariant coframe
field {ζi} of the form
ζi :=
n∑
j=1
aijω
j , aij = const, i = 1, 2, . . . , n,
will be of constant structure, and can also be used for solving the congruence problem of im-
mersions. If, however, an invariant coframe field {ζi} is not of constant structure, then at least
necessary conditions for congruence can be obtained.
Proposition 4.13. Suppose that M admits an invariant coframe field of constant structure and
that {ζi} is any invariant coframe field that may not be of constant structure. If two immersions
ψ, φ : X −→M are congruent, then ψ∗ζi = φ∗ζi for all i = 1, 2, . . . , n.
Proof. Let {ωi} be a constant-structure invariant coframe field on M . Suppose ψ = g ◦ φ for
some g ∈ G. Since {ζi} is an invariant coframe field, there exist invariant functions f ij on M
such that ζi =
n∑
j=1
f ijω
j for all i = 1, . . . , n. Then for each i,
ψ∗ζi =
n∑
j=1
(
(g ◦ φ)∗f ij
)(
(g ◦ φ)∗ωj
)
=
n∑
j=1
(
φ∗g∗f ij
)(
φ∗g∗ωj
)
=
n∑
j=1
(
φ∗f ij
)(
φ∗ωj
)
= φ∗ζi. �
Remark 4.14. Fortunately, we have the general formula (6) for constructing constant-structure
invariant coframe fields that will enable us to solve congruence problems completely and obtain
necessary and sufficient conditions for congruence.
Example 4.15 (Euclidean plane). We continue the discussion and notation of the SE(2)-action
that we had in the earlier examples. To find a complete system of SE(2)-congruence invariants of
curve immersions in Euclidean plane, we need to construct a constant-structure SE(2)-invariant
coframe field on J1(R,R2) where we confirmed that SE(2) acts locally freely. We follow the
formula (6) to construct such a coframe field. According to the formula, part of the coframe
field comes from the Maurer–Cartan coframe field of SE(2), which we find by first embedding
SE(2) in GL(3):
SE(2) −→ GL(3,R), (θ, a, b) 7−→ g :=
cos θ − sin θ a
sin θ cos θ b
0 0 1
,
On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces 13
which acts on the hyperplane {[u v 1]T ∈ R3 |u, v ∈ R} via matrix multiplication, and then
taking the linearly independent entries of the gl(3,R)-valued Maurer–Cartan form (dg)g−1:
µ1 := dθ, µ2 := da+ bdθ, µ3 := db− adθ.
We pull these Maurer–Cartan forms by the moving frame ρ : J1(R,R2) −→ SE(2) to obtain
the invariant one-forms on J1(R,R2):
ρ∗µ1 =
vxdux − uxdvx
u2x + v2x
, ρ∗µ2 =
−vxdu+ uxdv√
u2x + v2x
, ρ∗µ3 =
−uxdu− vxdv√
u2x + v2x
, (7)
which will be part of the coframe field that we are trying to construct.
The other part of the formula (6) is implemented to obtain more invariant one-forms on
J1(R,R2):
dι∗x = dx, dι∗vx =
ux√
u2x + v2x
dux +
vx√
u2x + v2x
dvx,
that complement (7) to form a constant-structure invariant coframe field of J1(R,R2). The final
step, suggested by Theorem 4.3, is to pull these coframe forms by the prolonged graph j1γ(ψ)
of a generic curve immersion ψ : R −→ R2, x 7−→ (u(x), v(x)):
(
j1γ(ψ)
)∗
µ1 =
uxxvx − uxvxx
u2x + v2x
dx,
(
j1γ(ψ)
)∗
µ2 = 0,(
j1γ(ψ)
)∗
µ3 = −
√
u2x + v2xdx,
(
j1γ(ψ)
)∗
dι∗x = dx, (8)(
j1γ(ψ)
)∗
dι∗vx =
uxuxx + vxvxx√
u2x + v2x
dx.
Therefore, the coefficient functions of dx in (8),
uxxvx − uxvxx
u2x + v2x
, −
√
u2x + v2x,
uxuxx + vxvxx√
u2x + v2x
, (9)
constitute a complete system of SE(2)-invariants for curve immersions in R2. According to
Theorem 4.3, two immersions R −→ R2 are congruent if and only if the functions (9), when
restricted to the two (prolonged) immersed submanifolds, yield the same values at every point in
an open subset of the domain R of the immersions and also there is a transformation g ∈ SE(2)
that sends some first-order jet (x̃, ũ, ṽ, ũx, ṽx) ∈ J1(R,R2) of one of the curves to a jet of the
other.
Note that the first two congruence invariants uxxvx−uxvxx
u2x+v
2
x
and −
√
u2x + v2x generate alge-
braically a space of functions equivalent to the space generated by the well-known curvature
and speed invariants of Euclidean planar curves. The third invariant uxuxx+vxvxx√
u2x+v
2
x
is a differential
consequence of the second invariant, and hence does not provide any new information.
5 More examples
5.1 A homogeneous space: CP1 under the action of PSL(2,C)
The example of planar curves used in the previous sections was for the congruence problem of
immersions in the homogeneous space (R2,SE(2)). In this section, we deal with yet another
example of a homogeneous space.
14 J. Cheh
Consider the action by linear fractional (or Möbius) transformations
SL(2,C)× C −→ C,
[
a b
c d
]
· z 7−→ az + b
cz + d
, (10)
which is a local description of the transitive action
PSL(2,C)× CP1 −→ CP1,
[
a b
c d
]
·
[
z
w
]
7−→
[
az + bw
cz + dw
]
,
where the overlines represent the standard projections to the respective quotient spaces PSL(2,C)
= SL(2,C)/(SL(2,C) ∩ C∗I) and CP1 = (C2 − {(0, 0)})/ ∼.
We will study local congruence of holomorphic maps ψ : CP1 −→ CP1 with nonvanishing
derivatives. To do so, we first rewrite the action (10) using the parametrization of SL(2,C) by
(a, b, c):
SL(2,C)× C −→ C,
[
a b
c (bc+ 1)/a
]
· z 7−→ a2z + ab
acz + bc+ 1
,
and also view the immersions in local coordinate charts of CP1 so that they are of the form
ψ : C −→ C. Next, we take the graph of ψ,
γ(ψ) : C −→ C× C, z 7−→ (z, ψ(z)),
where SL(2,C) acts on C× C by verticalization:
SL(2,C)× (C× C) −→ C× C, (a, b, c) · (w, z) 7−→
(
w,
a2z + ab
acz + bc+ 1
)
.
This action is not locally free, which is obvious from consideration of the dimensions of PSL(2,C)
and C×C, and thus we need to try prolonging the action to jet bundles over C×C and see if the
resulting action is locally free there. In fact, the prolonged action of SL(2,C) on J2(C,C) turns
out to be locally free. Specifically, the second-order prolonged action A : SL(2,C)×J2(C,C) −→
J2(C,C) is given by
(a, b, c) · (w, z, zw, zww)
7−→
(
w,
a2z + ab
acz + bc+ 1
,
a2zw
(acz + bc+ 1)2
,
−2a3cz2w + (a2 + a2bc)zww + a3czzww
(acz + bc+ 1)3
)
where (w, z, zw, zww) denotes the local coordinate system on J2(C,C). At this point, the chosen
(normalization) equations
A∗z =
a2z + ab
acz + bc+ 1
= 0, A∗zw =
a2zw
(acz + bc+ 1)2
= 1,
A∗zww =
−2a3cz2w + (a2 + a2bc)zww + a3czzww
(acz + bc+ 1)3
= 0, (11)
can be solved, where zw 6= 0, for the group parameters
a =
1
√
zw
, b = − z
√
zw
, c =
zww
2zw
√
zw
,
which implies that the group action is locally free, and defines the moving frame
ρ : J2(C,C) −→ SL(2,C), (w, z, zw, zww) 7−→ (a, b, c),
On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces 15
and the associated section
σ : J2(C,C) −→ SL(2,C)× J2(C,C), (w, z, zw, zww) 7−→ (a, b, c, w, z, zw, zww).
Now we recall the formula (6) to construct a constant-structure SL(2,C)-invariant coframe
field on J2(C,C). Among the coordinate functions (w, z, zw, zww) of J2(C,C), w was the one
that was not used in the normalization equations (11) and thus it leads to the invariant one-form
dι∗w = dw (12)
on J2(C,C) as part of the coframe field that we are constructing. The other part of the coframe
field requires, according to (6), that we first find Maurer–Cartan forms of SL(2,C). Thus,
assuming
g :=
[
a b
c (bc+ 1)/a
]
∈ SL(2,C),
we take the linearly independent entries of the sl(2,C)-valued Maurer–Cartan form (dg)g−1 to
obtain the Maurer–Cartan coframe field of SL(2,C):
µ1 :=
bc+ 1
a
da− cdb, µ2 := −bda+ adb, µ3 :=
bc2 + c
a2
da− c2
a
db+
1
a
dc.
Pulling back these Maurer–Cartan forms by the moving frame ρ : J2(C,C) −→ SL(2,C) yields
the following invariant one-forms on J2(C,C):
ρ∗µ1 =
zww
2z2w
dz − 1
2zw
dzw, ρ∗µ2 = − 1
zw
dz, ρ∗µ3 =
z2ww
4z3w
dz − zww
z2w
dzw +
1
2zw
dzww
that, together with (12), form a constant-structure SL(2,C)-invariant coframe field on J2(C,C).
Now the final step is to pull back the one-forms in the coframe by the prolonged graph j2γ(ψ)
of a generic holomorphic immersion ψ : C −→ C, w 7−→ z(w), to obtain:(
j2γ(ψ)
)∗
dι∗w = dw,
(
j2γ(ψ)
)∗
ρ∗µ1 = 0,
(
j2γ(ψ)
)∗
ρ∗µ2 = −dw,(
j2γ(ψ)
)∗
ρ∗µ3 =
(
zwww
2zw
− 3z2ww
4z2w
)
dw.
Thus zwww
2zw
− 3z2ww
4z2w
is the only non-constant invariant in this example, and therefore, according
to Theorem 4.3, two immersions C −→ C are congruent under linear fractional transforma-
tions (10) or two immersions CP1 −→ CP1 are congruent under the action of PSL(2,C) if and
only if the restriction of the function zwww
2zw
− 3z2ww
4z2w
on the two (prolonged) immersed submani-
folds agree and also there exists an element g of the group that takes some jet (w̃, z̃, z̃w, z̃ww) ∈
J2(C,C) of one of the immersions to a jet of the other immersion. The function zwww
2zw
− 3z2ww
4z2w
,
therefore, is an SL(2,C)- or PSL(2,C)-congruence invariant, and, when multiplied by 2, is in
fact known as the Schwarzian derivative.
5.2 A nonhomogeneous space: R3 under the action of SO(3)
Consider the action of SO(3) on R3 via the standard rotations. Note that the resulting space
(R3,SO(3)) constitutes a nonhomogeneous space. We will treat the congruence problem of orien-
table regular hypersurfaces in this space using the same technique that we used for congruence
problems for homogeneous spaces.
16 J. Cheh
For this example, however, we will take a somewhat implicit way of describing the group
elements, as opposed to the explicit parametric descriptions of symmetry groups that we used
for the other examples. Although it is possible to describe SO(3) by parameters, such as Euler
angles, still arriving at the same final solution to our congruence problem, an implicit description
of SO(3) turns out not only to reduce greatly the amount of computation that would otherwise be
required by explicit presence of parameters, but also to give us a better geometric understanding,
allowing for deft manipulation, of a moving frame that we will construct.
Thus, any matrix element of the group SO(3) will from now on be denoted simply by the
letter R without referring to any parameters. Also, in order not to clutter expressions with
too many different symbols, we will continue the tradition of using same symbols for multiple
purposes, supported at times by the customary canonical identification of a vector space such as
R3 with its tangent spaces at various points, insofar as there is no danger of serious confusion; in
particular, we will use the column matrix notation u := [u1 u2 u3]T to denote, depending on the
context, the coordinate system of R3, a point as a vector in R3, or the image of an immersion
R2 −→ R3.
As always, we view any regular surface ψ : R2 −→ R3 in terms of its graph
γ(ψ) : R2 −→ R2 × R3,
(
x1, x2
)
−→
(
x1, x2, ψ
(
x1, x2
))
,
where x := (x1, x2) denotes the coordinate system of the domain R2. We verticalize the action
of SO(3) to the corresponding action on R2 × R3:
SO(3)×
(
R2 × R3
)
−→ R2 × R3, R · (x, u) 7−→ (x,Ru),
where Ru signifies matrix multiplication. Since this action is not locally free, we try prolonging
the action in an attempt to obtain a locally free action:
A : SO(3)× J1
(
R2,R3
)
−→ J1
(
R2,R3
)
, R · (x, u, u1, u2) 7−→ (x,Ru,Ru1, Ru2),
where u1 := [u11 u
2
1 u
3
1]
T and u2 := [u12 u
2
2 u
3
2]
T denote the fiber coordinates of the bundle
J1(R2,R3) −→ R2×R3. Indeed, this first prolongation of the action is locally free since we can
solve, for the group element R, the following chosen (normalization) equations
A∗u1 = R
[
u11 u
2
1 u
3
1
]T
= [? 0 0]T, A∗u2 = R
[
u12 u
2
2 u
3
2
]T
= [? ? 0]T, (13)
where ? means that the entry is not normalized and hence left free. To help describe the solution
R satisfying the equations (13), we need first define a few R3-valued vector fields along surfaces:
n :=
u1 × u2
‖u1 × u2‖
, t :=
u1
‖u1‖
, v := n× t.
Note that these ordered vector fields form an oriented orthonormal frame field of R3, restricted
to surfaces, possessing the same orientation as the standard one for R3. If R satisfies the
equations (13), then
Rn = [0 0 1]T, Rt = [1 0 0]T, and
Rv = R(n× t) = (Rn)× (Rt) = [0 0 1]T × [1 0 0]T = [0 1 0]T.
Thus,
R−1[1 0 0]T = t, R−1[0 1 0]T = v, R−1[0 0 1]T = n,
and therefore
R = [t v n]−1 = [t v n]T.
On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces 17
This solution R is what is used in our construction of a moving frame:
ρ : J1(R2,R3) −→ SO(3), (x, u, u1, u2) 7−→ [t v n]T,
and its associated section
σ : J1
(
R2,R3
)
−→ SO(3)× J1
(
R2,R3
)
, (x, u, u1, u2) 7−→ ([t v n]T, x, u, u1, u2).
To construct a constant-structure SO(3)-invariant coframe field on J1(R2,R3), we now im-
plement the formula (6) while having in mind Remark 4.8 and the definition ι := A ◦ σ,
dι∗x = dx,
dι∗u = dσ∗(Ru) = d((ρ∗R)u) = d([t v n]Tu) = [dt dv dn]Tu+ [t v n]Tdu,
dι∗u1 = [dt dv dn]Tu1 + [t v n]Tdu1,
dι∗u2 = [dt dv dn]Tu2 + [t v n]Tdu2. (14)
We also pull back, by the moving frame ρ, the so(3)-valued Maurer–Cartan form (dR)R−1 of
SO(3) to J1(R2,R3):
ρ∗
(
(dR)R−1
)
=
(
d[t v n]T
)
[t v n] =
0 v · dt n · dt
−v · dt 0 n · dv
−n · dt −n · dv 0
. (15)
According to Theorem 4.7 (and Remark 4.8), the one-forms (14) and (15) constitute a cons-
tant-structure SO(3)-invariant coframe field on J1(R2,R3). Therefore, by Theorem 4.3, two
surface immersions in R3 will be congruent under the action of SO(3) if and only if there exists
a transformation R ∈ SO(3) taking some first-order jet (x̃, ũ, ũ1, ũ2) ∈ J1(R2,R3) of one of
the surfaces to a jet (x̃, Rũ, Rũ1, Rũ2) of the other surface and also evaluation of the coframe
field (14) and (15) results in the same one-form system for both surfaces.
To shed a bit of light on the relationship of this result with the classic case of the full
orientation-preserving rigid motion group SE(3) = SO(3)nR3, suppose that all the congruence
conditions are met and thus the prolonged graphs of the two surfaces are congruent over an
open subset of their domain R2. If the vector fields u, u1, u2 for each of the surfaces are
expressed in terms of the orthonormal frame field {t,v,n} of the corresponding surface, the
common restricted Maurer–Cartan forms (15) make the terms [dt dv dn]Tu, [dt dv dn]Tu1,
[dt dv dn]Tu2 in (14) equal for both surfaces, and thus, in particular, the surfaces must agree
on the terms
[t v n]Tdu, [t v n]Tdu1, [t v n]Tdu2. (16)
Notice that specifying these one-forms (16) is equivalent (modulo some redundancy) to deter-
mining the first and second fundamental forms
I = (t · du)⊗ (t · du) + (v · du)⊗ (v · du), II =
2∑
i,j=1
(n · uij)dxi ⊗ dxj
that are classically known to form a complete system of congruence invariants for surface im-
mersions under the transitive action of SE(3). Obviously, in view of the explanation given in the
previous paragraph, the fundamental form conditions alone will not be sufficient for congruence
under the intransitive action of our group SO(3).
A similar example is discussed in [3] that finds differential invariants of surfaces in R3 under
the action of SO(3), but their invariants are for the variable-parameter congruence, as opposed
to our fixed-parameter congruence invariants, and hence in particular do not include the first
fundamental form.
18 J. Cheh
5.3 Another nonhomogeneous space
Lest we give the wrong impression through the preceding examples that our method is somehow
confined to work only for well-known group actions, now we discuss for our final example5
a rather randomly chosen intransitive action on R3 and find a corresponding complete system
of congruence invariants for surface immersions.
Let us consider the following action of a group G, parametrized by (t1, t2, t3, t4, t5), on R3
with coordinate system (u, v, w):
G× R3 −→ R3, (t1, t2, t3, t4, t5) · (u, v, w) 7−→ (u+ t1v + t2w + t3, v + t4w + t5, w).
(This action can be viewed as one by a certain subgroup of a Heisenberg group as we will see
later.)
For the first step to find a complete system of congruence invariants for surface immersions
ψ : R2 −→ R3 under the action of G, we verticalize the given action on R3 into one on the total
space of the product bundle R2 × R3 −→ R2 as follows:
G× (R2 × R3) −→ R2 × R3,
(t1, t2, t3, t4, t5) · (x, y;u, v, w) 7−→ (x, y;u+ t1v + t2w + t3, v + t4w + t5, w),
where (x, y) represents the coordinate system of R2, the domain of surface immersions. This
verticalized G-action on R2 × R3 is not locally free, but its first-order prolongation
A : G× J1
(
R2,R3
)
−→ J1
(
R2,R3
)
,
(t1, t2, t3, t4, t5) · (x, y;u, v, w;ux, uy, vx, vy, wx, wy)
7−→ (x, y;u+ t1v + t2w + t3, v + t4w + t5, w;
ux + t1vx + t2wx, uy + t1vy + t2wy, vx + t4wx, vy + t4wy, wx, wy),
is locally free since we can solve the following chosen normalization equations
A∗u = u+ t1v + t2w + t3 = 0, A∗v = v + t4w + t5 = 0,
A∗ux = ux + t1vx + t2wx = 0, A∗uy = uy + t1vy + t2wy = 0,
A∗vx = vx + t4wx = 0
for the group parameters
t1 =
−uywx + uxwy
vywx − vxwy
, t2 =
uyvx − uxvy
vywx − vxwy
,
t3 =
−uvywx − uywvx + uyvwx + uvxwy + uxwvy − uxvwy
vywx − vxwy
,
t4 = − vx
wx
, t5 = −v +
wzx
wx
.
These solutions for t1, t2, t3, t4, t5 are the ones used in the construction of the moving frame
ρ : J1
(
R2,R3
)
−→ G, (x, y;u, v, w;ux, uy, vx, vy, wx, wy) 7−→ (t1, t2, t3, t4, t5),
and its associated moving frame section σ : J1(R2,R3) −→ G× J1(R2,R3).
For the next step of finding Maurer–Cartan forms of G, we regard the action of G on R3 as
the linear group consisting of the following elements
g :=
1 t1 t2 t3
0 1 t4 t5
0 0 1 0
0 0 0 1
∈ GL(4,R), ti ∈ R, i = 1, . . . , 5,
5Suggested by an anonymous referee.
On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces 19
acting on the hyperplane {[u v w 1]T ∈ R4 |u, v, w ∈ R} via the usual matrix multiplication.
Then the linearly independent entries of the gl(4,R)-valued Maurer–Cartan form (dg)g−1,
µ1 := dt1, µ2 := −t4dt1 + dt2, µ3 := −t5dt1 + dt3, µ4 := dt4, µ5 := dt5,
give rise to a Maurer–Cartan coframe field of G.
Now we use the formula (6) to construct constant-structure invariant coframe field of
J1(R2,R3). Pulling back the Maurer–Cartan forms of G by the moving frame ρ yields
ρ∗µ1 =
1
(vywx − vxwy)2
((
vywxwy − vxw2
y
)
dux +
(
−vyw2
x + vxwxwy
)
duy
+
(
−uywxwy + uxw
2
y
)
dvx +
(
uyw
2
x − uxwxwy
)
dvy + (uyvxwy − uxvywy)dwx
+ (−uyvxwx + uxvywx)dwy
)
,
ρ∗µ2 =
1
vyw2
x− vxwxwy
(
(−vywx + vxwy)dux + (uywx − uxwy)dvx + (−uyvx + uxvy)dwx
)
,
ρ∗µ3 =
1
vyw2
x − vxwxwy
((
−vyw2
x + vxwxwy
)
du+
(
uyw
2
x − uxwxwy
)
dv
+ (wvywx − wvxwy)dux + (−wuywx + wuxwy)dvx + (−uyvxwx + uxvywx)dw
+ (wuyvx − wuxvy)dwx
)
,
ρ∗µ4 = − 1
wx
dvx +
vx
w2
x
dwx,
ρ∗µ5 = −dv +
vx
wx
dw +
w
wx
dvx −
wvx
w2
x
dwx, (17)
and pulling back the coordinate functions of J1(R2,R3), that were not normalized to constants,
by ι = A ◦ σ and then taking their exterior differentials yields
dι∗x = dx, dι∗y = dy, dι∗w = dw,
dι∗vy = −wy
wx
dvx + dvy +
vxwy
w2
x
dwx −
vx
wx
dwy,
dι∗wx = dwx, dι∗wy = dwy. (18)
The eleven one-forms, (17) and (18), constitute a constant-structure G-invariant coframe field of
J1(R2,R3). The final step now is to pull back those coframe one-forms by the prolonged graph
j1γ(ψ) : R2−→J1(R2,R3) of a generic surface ψ : R2−→R3, (x, y) 7−→(u(x, y), v(x, y), w(x, y)),
to obtain the following system of one-forms:(
j1γ(ψ)
)∗
ρ∗µ1 =
dx
(vywx − vxwy)2
(
−uyvxxwxwy + uxxvywxwy − uxxvxw2
y
+ uxvxxw
2
y + uyvxwxxwy − uxvywxxwy − vyw2
xuxy + uyw
2
xvxy
+ vxwxwyuxy − uxwxwyvxy − uyvxwxwxy + uxvywxwxy
)
+
dy
(vywx − vxwy)2
(
−uyyvyw2
x + uyvyyw
2
x + uyyvxwxwy − uxvyywxwy
− uyvxwxwyy + uxvywxwyy + vywxwyuxy − uywxwyvxy − vxw2
yuxy
+ uxw
2
yvxy + uyvxwywxy − uxvywywxy
)
,(
j1γ(ψ)
)∗
ρ∗µ2 =
dx
vyw2
x − vxwxwy
(
uyvxxwx − uxxvywx − uyvxwxx + uxvywxx
20 J. Cheh
+ uxxvxwy − uxvxxwy
)
+
dy
vyw2
x − vxwxwy
(
−vywxuxy + uywxvxy
+ vxwyuxy − uxwyvxy − uyvxwxy + uxvywxy
)
,(
j1γ(ψ)
)∗
ρ∗µ3 =
dx
vyw2
x − vxwxwy
(
−wuyvxxwx + wuxxvywx + wuyvxwxx
− wuxvywxx − wuxxvxwy + wuxvxxwy
)
+
dy
vyw2
x − vxwxwy
(
wvywxuxy
− wuywxvxy − wvxwyuxy + wuxwyvxy + wuyvxwxy − wuxvywxy
)
,(
j1γ(ψ)
)∗
ρ∗µ4 =
(vxwxx
w2
x
− vxx
wx
)
dx+
(vxwxy
w2
x
− vxy
wx
)
dy,(
j1γ(ψ)
)∗
ρ∗µ5 =
(wvxx
wx
− wvxwxx
w2
x
)
dx+
(vxwy
wx
− wvxwxy
w2
x
+
wvxy
wx
− vy
)
dy,(
j1γ(ψ)
)∗
dι∗x = dx,(
j1γ(ψ)
)∗
dι∗y = dy,(
j1γ(ψ)
)∗
dι∗w = wxdx+ wydy,(
j1γ(ψ)
)∗
dι∗vy =
(vxwxxwy
w2
x
− vxxwy
wx
− vxwxy
wx
+ vxy
)
dx+
(
−vxwyy
wx
− wyvxy
wx
+
vxwywxy
w2
x
+ vyy
)
dy,(
j1γ(ψ)
)∗
dι∗wx = wxxdx+ wxydy,(
j1γ(ψ)
)∗
dι∗wy = wxydx+ wyydy. (19)
Thus, a complete system of G-congruence invariants for surface immersions in R3 is provided
by the set of all the coefficients of dx and dy in (19). According to Theorem 4.3, two surface
immersions will be congruent under the action of G if and only if some transformation g ∈ G
takes some first-order jet of one of the surfaces to a jet of the other surface and the invariants (19)
evaluated for the two surfaces agree.
6 Discussions
We introduced the notion of invariant coframe fields of constant structure, whose explicit con-
struction can be done by the method of equivariant moving frames, and used them to prove
Theorem 4.3 that provided theoretical justification of our coherent method of completely sol-
ving the congruence problem of immersions in homogeneous and nonhomogeneous spaces alike.
It extends and generalizes to arbitrary G-spaces the key congruence lemmas in [5] that were
designed for homogeneous spaces. We demonstrated our method by applying it to congruence
problems in some classical and other examples.
The next order of research in this direction should involve applications of our method to more
substantial and unexplored congruence problems.
Acknowledgments
This work has benefited from the discussions held in the Differential Geometry and Lie Theory
seminars at the University of Toledo; the author would like to thank the organizers and parti-
cipants of the seminars. Also, the anonymous referees’ critical and yet helpful comments have
contributed significantly in the process of revising and improving the paper; the author is very
grateful to the referees.
On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces 21
It is hoped that this work serves to reflect, although only to a small extent limited by
the author’s meager knowledge, the author’s appreciation of the introduction by Professor Peter
Olver to the marvelous unifying philosophy and technology of symmetry, invariance, and equiva-
lence.
References
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(Seattle, WA, 1991), Contemp. Math., Vol. 132, Amer. Math. Soc., Providence, RI, 1992, 51–73.
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[3] Fels M., Olver P.J., Moving coframes. II. Regularization and theoretical foundations, Acta Appl. Math. 55
(1999), 127–208.
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spaces, Duke Math. J. 45 (1978), 735–779.
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questions in differential geometry, Duke Math. J. 41 (1974), 775–814.
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1746–1792.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.4153/CJM-2008-057-0
1 Introduction
2 Verticalization and prolongation of group actions
3 Review of equivariant moving frames
4 Congruence of immersions
5 More examples
5.1 A homogeneous space: CP1 under the action of PSL(2,C)
5.2 A nonhomogeneous space: R3 under the action of SO(3)
5.3 Another nonhomogeneous space
6 Discussions
References
|
| id | nasplib_isofts_kiev_ua-123456789-149192 |
| institution | Digital Library of Periodicals of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine |
| issn | 1815-0659 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-12-07T18:14:57Z |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publisher | Інститут математики НАН України |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | Cheh, J. 2019-02-19T18:27:40Z 2019-02-19T18:27:40Z 2013 On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces / J. Cheh // Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry: Methods and Applications. — 2013. — Т. 9. — Бібліогр.: 16 назв. — англ. 1815-0659 2010 Mathematics Subject Classification: 53A55; 53B25 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3842/SIGMA.2013.036 https://nasplib.isofts.kiev.ua/handle/123456789/149192 We show how to find a complete set of necessary and sufficient conditions that solve the fixed-parameter local congruence problem of immersions in G-spaces, whether homogeneous or not, provided that a certain kth order jet bundle over the G-space admits a G-invariant local coframe field of constant structure. As a corollary, we note that the differential order of a minimal complete set of congruence invariants is bounded by k+1. We demonstrate the method by rediscovering the speed and curvature invariants of Euclidean planar curves, the Schwarzian derivative of holomorphic immersions in the complex projective line, and equivalents of the first and second fundamental forms of surfaces in R³ subject to rotations. This paper is a contribution to the Special Issue “Symmetries of Dif ferential Equations: Frames, Invariants
 and Applications”. The full collection is available at http://www.emis.de/journals/SIGMA/SDE2012.html.
 This work has benefited from the discussions held in the Dif ferential Geometry and Lie Theory
 seminars at the University of Toledo; the author would like to thank the organizers and participants of the seminars. Also, the anonymous referees’ critical and yet helpful comments have
 contributed significantly in the process of revising and improving the paper; the author is very
 grateful to the referees.
 It is hoped that this work serves to reflect, although only to a small extent limited by
 the author’s meager knowledge, the author’s appreciation of the introduction by Professor Peter
 Olver to the marvelous unifying philosophy and technology of symmetry, invariance, and equivalence. en Інститут математики НАН України Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry: Methods and Applications On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces Article published earlier |
| spellingShingle | On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces Cheh, J. |
| title | On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces |
| title_full | On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces |
| title_fullStr | On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces |
| title_full_unstemmed | On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces |
| title_short | On Local Congruence of Immersions in Homogeneous or Nonhomogeneous Spaces |
| title_sort | on local congruence of immersions in homogeneous or nonhomogeneous spaces |
| url | https://nasplib.isofts.kiev.ua/handle/123456789/149192 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chehj onlocalcongruenceofimmersionsinhomogeneousornonhomogeneousspaces |