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This homework set is out of 40 points with a possibility of extra credit.
If \(M \subseteq \mathbb{R}^n\) is a smooth manifold and \(\mathbf{p} \in M\), define
\(N_p M\) to be all elements of \(\mathbb{R}^n_{\mathbf{p}}\) which are orthogonal to every
element of \(T_p M\).
This is the vector space of normal vectors to \(M\) at \(\mathbf{p}\).
Define the normal bundle of \(M\) to be \(N M := \bigcup_{\mathbf{p} \in M} N_{\mathbf{p}} M\).
If \(I \subseteq \mathbb{R}\) is an interval and \(\gamma:I \to M\) is continuous,
a lift of \(\gamma\) to \(\Gamma \subseteq \mathbb{R}^n \times \mathbb{R}^n\)
is a continuous function \(\widetilde{\gamma} : I \to \Gamma\)
such that for all \(t \in I\), \(\widetilde{\gamma}(t) \in \Gamma \cap \mathbb{R}^n_{\gamma(t)}\).
A lifting \(\widetilde{\gamma}\) has unit length if \(\|\widetilde{\gamma}(t)\| = 1\)
for all \(t \in I\).
Remark:
If \(\mathbf{u}_p,\mathbf{v}_p \in \mathbb{R}^n_p\), then
\(\mathbf{u}_{\mathbf{p}} \cdot \mathbf{v}_{\mathbf{p}} = \mathbf{u} \cdot \mathbf{v}\) and
\(\|\mathbf{u}_{\mathbf{p}} \| = \| \mathbf{u} \|\) (i.e. the dot product and norm on \(\mathbb{R}^n_{\mathbf{p}}\)
come from viewing it as isomorphic to \(\mathbb{R}^n\), not from the inclusion
\(\mathbb{R}^n_{\mathbf{p}} \subseteq \mathbb{R}^{2n}\)).
-
(8+2 points)
Suppose that \(S \subseteq \mathbb{R}^n\) is a smooth surface, \(\gamma:(a,b) \to S\)
is a regular parametrized curve with range \(C\).
Show that if \(n = 3\), then
\(\gamma\) has at most two unit length lifts to \(N S\) and in general
\(\gamma\) has at most two unit length lifts to \(N C \cap T S\).
Hint: If \(\widetilde{\gamma}_1\) and \(\widetilde{\gamma}_2\) are unit length lifts of \(\gamma\) to \(NS\),
consider the function \(f(t) = \widetilde{\gamma}_1(t) \cdot \widetilde{\gamma}_2(t)\).
What are its possible values?
Show that any such function must be constant.
A similar idea applies to the second part.
Remark:
In fact in each case there are always exactly two such lifts of \(\gamma\).
A unit length lift of \(\gamma\) to \(NS\) amounts to a selection of a "side" of the surface
for each point on \(\gamma\).
A unit length lift of \(\gamma\) to \(NC \cap TS\) is a choice of "side" of the curve within the surface.
Solution
Observe that if \(n=3\) then for any \(\mathbf{p} \in S\),
\(N_{\mathbf{p}} S\) is a 1-dimensional vector space since
\(\mathbb{R}^3_{\mathbf{p}}\) is the direct sum of \(T_{\mathbf{p}} S\) and \(N_{\mathbf{p}} S\).
In particular, there are exactly two unit vectors in \(N_{\mathbf{p}} S\).
If \(\tilde \gamma_1\) and \(\tilde \gamma_2\) are lifts of \(\gamma_1\) and \(\gamma_2\),
then \(\tilde \gamma_1 (t) \cdot \tilde \gamma_2(t) \in \{1,-1\}\).
Since \(\tilde \gamma_1 \cdot \tilde \gamma_2\) is continuous, the Intremediate Value Theorem
implies that it must be constant.
This implies \(\tilde \gamma_2 = \pm \tilde \gamma_1\) (here and below multiplication by \(-1\) is only
on the vector component of \(\tilde \gamma_1\), not the base point).
In particular there are exactly two lifts of a curve \(\gamma\) to \(N_{\mathbf{p}} S\) if there are any lifts
at all.
If \(n\) is arbitrary, notice that \(T_{\mathbf{p}} S\) is the direct sum of
\(T_{\mathbf{p}} C\) and \(N_{\mathbf{p}} C \cap T_{\mathbf{p}} S\).
In particular, \(N_{\mathbf{p}} C \cap T_{\mathbf{p}} S\) has dimension 1 and contains exactly two
unit vectors.
The proof that curves in \(S\) have at most 2 lifts to \(NC \cap TS\) now proceeds in exactly the same
way as in the previous case.
-
(10 points)
Suppose that \(S \subseteq \mathbb{R}^n\) is a smooth, orientable surface.
Show that if \(n=3\),
any unit length lift of a regular closed curve to \(NS\) is closed.
For +5 points extra credit show that in general
any unit length lift of a regular closed curve \(C\) to
\(NC \cap TS\) is closed.
Remark:
Such a lift of a closed curve not being closed amounts to traveling around the surface, returning to the starting
point but in a way such that the chosen "side" of the surface or curve has changed.
These are useful tools in demonstrating that a surface is not orientable - just show that
an appropriate lift of a closed curve isn't closed.
Solution
Suppose that \(\mathbf{N}\) is an orientation of \(S\).
If \(\gamma:[a,b] \to S\) is any closed curve, then
\(\tilde \gamma(t) := (\gamma(t),\mathbf{N}(\gamma(t)))\) is a lift
of \(\gamma\) to \(S\).
Since \(\gamma(a) = \gamma(b)\), \(\mathbf{N}(\gamma(a)) =\mathbf{N}(\gamma(b))\) and
therefore \(\tilde \gamma\) is closed as well.
Notice that \(-\tilde \gamma\) is also a lift of \(\gamma\) which is closed.
By Problem 1, every lift of \(\gamma\) to \(N S\) is either \(\tilde \gamma\) or \(-\tilde \gamma\)
and hence is closed.
-
(10 points)
Let \(S\) be the range of
\[
\sigma(x,y) :=
(\cos (x) \cos (y),
\sin (x) \cos (y),
\cos (x/2) \sin (y),
\sin (x/2) \sin (y)).
\]
Show that \(S\) is a smooth surface.
Remark: This is a Klein bottle.
Observe that \(\sigma(x,y+2\pi) = \sigma(x,y)\) and \(\sigma(x+2 \pi,2 \pi-y) = \sigma(x,y)\).
Solution
It suffices to show that \(\sigma\) is a local diffeomorphism.
First notice that \(\sigma\) is one-to-one when restricted to each of the following open sets:
\((0,2\pi) \times (0,2 \pi)\), \((-\pi,\pi) \times (0,2\pi)\), \((0,2\pi) \times (-\pi,\pi)\), and
\((-\pi,\pi) \times (-\pi,\pi)\).
Moreover, the image of each of these open sets under \(\sigma\) is open (since its complement in \(S\) is
closed).
Next we must show that \(\sigma\) is regular.
\[
\sigma_x = (-\sin(x)\cos(y),\cos(x)\cos(y),-\frac{1}{2}\sin(x/2)\sin(y),\frac{1}{2}\cos(x/2)\sin(y) )
\]
\[
\sigma_y = (-\cos(x)\sin(y),-\sin(x)\sin(y),\cos(x/2)\cos(y),\sin(x/2)\cos(y) )
\]
If we restrict to the first two coordinates and take the determinant, it is
\(\sin(y)\cos(y) = \frac{1}{2} \sin (2y)\) which is only \(0\) if \(y = n \pi\).
If \(y=n \pi\), then we have:
\[
\sigma_x = (\pm \sin(x), \pm \cos(x),0,0) \qquad \sigma_y = (0,0,\pm \cos(x/2),\pm \sin(x/2))
\]
It follows that \(\sigma_x\) and \(\sigma_y\) are always linearly independent
(notice that \(\sigma_x\) and \(\sigma_y\) are never 0).
-
(10 points)
Show that the surface \(S\) in exercise 3 is not orientable.
Hint: Use the extra credit component of exercise 2 with the curve
\(\gamma(t) = \sigma(t,0) = (\cos(t),\sin(t),0,0)\).
Solution
Define \(\gamma:[0,2\pi] \to S\) as above noting that \(\dot \gamma(t) = (-\sin(t),\cos(t),0,0)\).
In particular \(\gamma(0)=\gamma(2\pi)\) and \(\dot \gamma(0) = \dot \gamma(2\pi)\).
hence \(\gamma\) is closed.
If \(y=0\), then we have that
\[
\sigma_x(x,0) = (-\sin (x), \cos (x), 0,0) \qquad \sigma_y(x,0) = (0,0,\cos(x/2),\sin(x/2)).
\]
Notice that \(\sigma_x(t,0) = \dot \gamma(t)\), \(\sigma_y(t,0) \cdot \dot \gamma(t) = 0\), and
\(\|\sigma_y(t,0)\| = 1\).
Thus \(\sigma_y(t,0)\) is a continuuous unit normal to \(\gamma\) and
\(\tilde \gamma (t) = (\gamma(t),\sigma_y(t,0))\) is a lift of \(\gamma\) to \(N C \cap TS\).
Since \(\sigma_y(2\pi,0) = (0,0,-1,0) \ne (0,0,1,0) = \sigma_y(0,0)\),
\(\tilde \gamma:[0,2\pi] \to NC \cap TS\) is not closed.
Thus \(S\) is not orientable by Problem 2.