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An immersion $\varphi :U\to {\mathbb{R}}^3$ has differential of rank $2$, equivalently linearly independent ${\varphi }_u,{\varphi }_v$. It has isothermal coordinates when its first fundamental form has $E=G>0$, $F=0$. A minimal surface has zero mean curvature.

For an isothermal immersion, differentiation of $E=G$ and $F=0$ givesand similarly its scalar product with ${\varphi }_v$ is zero. Its normal component is $e+g$. The given mean curvature formula reduces to $H=(e+g)/(2E)$, soThus an isothermal immersion is minimal exactly when each coordinate is a harmonic function.

An explicit example is the Enneper surface, parametrized on ${\mathbb{R}}^2$ byEvery coordinate has zero Laplacian. Direct differentiation gives ${\varphi }_u\cdot {\varphi }_v=0$ and $|{\varphi }_u{|}^2=|{\varphi }_v{|}^2=(1+u^2+v^2{)}^2>0$. Thus it is an isothermal immersion and is minimal everywhere.

It is not an open subset of any of the three listed surfaces. The parameter points $(\sqrt{3},0)$ and $(-\sqrt{3},0)$ both map to $(0,0,3)$, but their tangent planes differ: ${\varphi }_u=(-2,0,\pm 2\sqrt{3})$ while ${\varphi }_v=(0,4,0)$. A plane, catenoid, or helicoid is an embedded smooth surface with a unique tangent plane at each point. If our whole image lay in any one of them, both rank-$2$ tangent planes at this point would have to equal its tangent plane, a contradiction.

Let $E$ have rank $r\ge 1$, let $p:\mathbb{P}(E)\to X$ be its projectivization of a real vector bundle, and let $\lambda \subset p^{\ast }E$ be its tautological bundle. Put $u=w_1(\lambda )\in H^1(\mathbb{P}(E);{\mathbb{F}}_2)$. The Projective bundle definition of Stiefel–Whitney classes starts from the isomorphismIn particular, $p^{\ast }$ is injective. Expand $u^r$ uniquely in this basis. The coefficients define the Stiefel–Whitney classes through the relationSet $w_0(E)=1$ and $w_i(E)=0$ for $i>r$; for a rank-zero vector bundle set $w(E)=1$. Uniqueness also proves naturality of the Stiefel–Whitney classes under a pullback vector bundle.

To prove the Whitney product formula for Stiefel–Whitney classes, apply the splitting principle for real vector bundles simultaneously to $E$ and $E^{\prime }$. Its injective pullback on mod-two cohomology follows by iterating the Projective bundle definition of Stiefel–Whitney classes. It suffices to compute for a split vector bundle $E={⨁}_{i=1}^r{L}_i$. Put $x_i=w_1(L_i)$.

On $\mathbb{P}(E)$, the coordinate projections of the tautological inclusion $\lambda \hookrightarrow p^{\ast }E$ give sections of the real line bundles ${\lambda }^{\ast }\otimes p^{\ast }{L}_i$ with no common zero. The mod-two Euler class of a real line bundle is its first Stiefel–Whitney class, and the First Stiefel–Whitney class of a tensor product of real line bundles gives $u+p^{\ast }{x}_i$. Multiplication of Euler classes under a direct sum, and vanishing of the Euler class of a vector bundle with a nowhere-zero section, therefore giveComparing with the unique monic relation defining the Stiefel–Whitney classes shows that $w_j(E)$ is the $j$th elementary symmetric polynomial in the $x_i$. Thus $w(E)={\prod }_i(1+x_i)$. A direct sum joins the two lists, so injectivity of the splitting pullback gives

For the immersion obstruction, use the notation $g=(f,f)$: the printed $f\times f$ here means the map from one copy of Real projective space into the product. Write $x=w_1({\gamma }_{\mathbb{R}})$ and let $z$ be the mod-two reduction of $c_1({\gamma }_{\mathbb{C}}^{\ast })$. The mod-two cohomology ring of real projective space and the cohomology ring of complex projective space giveNontriviality in degree two forces $f^{\ast }z=x^2$. Necessarily $k\ge 1$, since the degree-two cohomology of ${\mathbb{CP}}^0$ vanishes.

The standard tangent bundle identities for Real projective space and Complex projective space areFor the underlying real vector bundle of a complex line bundle, its total Stiefel–Whitney class is $1+c_1\mathrm{mod}2$. HenceIf $g$ is homotopic to an immersion $j$, its normal bundle $\nu$ has rank $4k-(2k+1)=2k-1$, andThe Whitney product formula for Stiefel–Whitney classes and homotopy invariance of cohomology yieldThe division is legitimate in the truncated cohomology ring, since $1+x$ is a unit. The degree-$2k$ component isIt must vanish because $2k>\mathrm{rank}\nu$, while $x^{2k}\ne 0$. Therefore $k$ must be odd.

For a Matrix Lie group, the exponential map of a matrix Lie group is the convergent matrix exponentialIts domain is the Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}=T_{I}G$, and $e^{tX}\in G$ for every real $t$ when $X\in \mathfrak{g}$. Because multiples of the same matrix commute, $e^{sX}{e}^{tX}=e^{(s+t)X}$ and $(e^{tX}{)}^{-1}=e^{-tX}$. Thus take $I=\mathbb{R}$ to obtain the image of a one-parameter subgroup.

Here is the precise classification of nontrivial one-parameter subgroups. For $X\ne 0$, the smooth group homomorphism ${\gamma }_X:t\mapsto e^{tX}$ has a closed kernel $K\subset \mathbb{R}$. A closed subgroup of $\mathbb{R}$ is zero, $\tau \mathbb{Z}$ for some $\tau >0$, or all of $\mathbb{R}$. Indeed, if positive elements have infimum zero, their integer multiples approximate every real number, so closedness makes the subgroup all of $\mathbb{R}$; otherwise the infimum is attained and is its least positive generator. The last possibility is excluded by ${\gamma }_X^{\prime }(0)=X\ne 0$. Give the image the quotient topology and smooth structure from $\mathbb{R}/K$. Its inclusion in $G$ is an injective immersion, since ${\gamma }_X^{\prime }(t)=e^{tX}X$ never vanishes. Consequently it is a Lie subgroup, withIn the periodic case $[0,\tau )$ is also a parameter interval covering the image, with endpoints understood modulo $\tau$.

Two qualifications matter. If $X=0$, the image is the trivial group, a third possibility omitted by the wording “two”. Also, a general one-parameter subgroup need not be closed or embedded: an irrational winding $t\mapsto \mathrm{diag}(R(t),R(\sqrt{2}t))$ in a two-torus is an example, where $R(t)$ is a planar rotation. The classification uses the intrinsic immersed Lie subgroup structure, rather than assuming that the matrix subspace topology is the topology of $\mathbb{R}$.

For the real special linear group, differentiating $\det (I+tX)=1+t\mathrm{tr}X+O(t^2)$ at the identity shows that its Lie algebra consists of traceless matrices. Conversely $\det e^{tX}=e^{t\mathrm{tr}X}=1$ for a traceless matrix. HenceChoose the standard basis of the real sl2 Lie algebra,Their squares have the required values. Direct matrix multiplication gives the Lie bracketsWriting $[L_a,L_b]=f_{ab}{}^c{L}_c$, these specify all the nonzero Lie algebra structure constants: $f_{0+}{}^{+}=2$, $f_{0-}{}^{-}=-2$, $f_{+-}{}^0=1$, together with their negatives on reversing the lower indices.

The three requested exponentials areThus the first two images are isomorphic to the additive real group, while the last is $SO(2)$, the circle group. The PDF gives $L_{+}-L_{-}$ here; the local TeX's $L_{-}-L_{-}$ is a transcription error.

For a general generator, put $\Delta ={\alpha }_0^2+{\alpha }_{+}{\alpha }_{-}$. Direct multiplication gives $X^2=\Delta I_2$. If $\Delta >0$, the eigenvalues $\pm \sqrt{\Delta }$ give an unbounded exponential image. If $\Delta =0$ but $X\ne 0$, it is a nilpotent linear map with exponential $I_2+tX$, again unbounded. If $\Delta =-{\omega }^2<0$, the power series instead giveswith least positive period $2\pi /\omega$. Its image is a continuous image of a circle and is compact. Equivalently, $X/\omega$ is a real complex structure and is similar over $\mathbb{R}$ to the rotation generator. Therefore the exact criterion for compact one-parameter subgroups of SL2R isFor a nonzero generator only the strict inequality remains.

An immersed submanifold of $M$ is a manifold $Y$ equipped with an injective immersion $\psi :Y\to M$. It is an embedded submanifold when $\psi$ is also a homeomorphism onto its image with the subspace topology, equivalently when it is a smooth embedding. For irrational $\alpha$, the irrational winding of the torusis an injective immersion $\mathbb{R}\to T^2$ with dense image, and therefore is not an embedding. If $Y$ is compact, however, an injective immersion is a continuous bijection from a compact space to its image in the Hausdorff manifold $M$; its inverse is continuous. Thus the compact injective immersion is an embedding theorem makes $\psi (Y)$ embedded.

Now let $X\subset M$ be embedded, with $\dim M=m$, $\dim X=m-k$, and $p\in X$. Apply the constant rank theorem to its inclusion. After choosing coordinates and reordering them, there is a neighborhood $U$ of $p$ with coordinates $(x^1,\dots ,x^m)$ for whichThis is the slice chart for an embedded submanifold.

It is false that every embedded submanifold is the inverse image of a regular value of a map to a Euclidean space. If a codimension-$k$ submanifold is $f^{-1}(y)$ for a regular value of $f:M\to {\mathbb{R}}^k$, the differentials of the component functions give a global frame of its conormal bundle, so its normal bundle is trivial. The core circle of the Möbius band is embedded but has the nontrivial Möbius normal line bundle. This is the normal-bundle obstruction to being a regular level set.

Finally, an inductive spinning construction gives the requested torus. Place an embedding $F:N^m\hookrightarrow {\mathbb{R}}^{m+1}$ in the half-space $F_{m+1}>0$ and defineThe positive radius makes this map injective, and its differential is injective in both the $N$ and circle directions; compactness then makes it an embedding. Starting with $S^1\hookrightarrow {\mathbb{R}}^2$ and iterating proves the embedding of the n-dimensional torus in codimension one:

The coordinate tangent vectors arewhere $f,f^{\prime },g^{\prime }$ are evaluated at $v$. Their cross product isand thereforeThe positivity follows because $f(v)>0$ and the profile is a regular curve. Hence $d\varphi$ has rank two everywhere, so $\varphi$ is an immersion. The angle interval $(0,2\pi )$ and the absence of profile self-intersections make $\varphi$ injective with a continuous local inverse. It is therefore an embedded surface parametrization, and its image is a regular surface.

The map $\varphi$ is an immersion when $d\varphi$ has rank two, equivalently ${\varphi }_u$ and ${\varphi }_v$ are linearly independent. It is isothermal when its first fundamental form hasIn general the mean curvature isThe surface is minimal when $H=0$. In isothermal coordinates the Laplace-Beltrami operator identity isThus $H=0$ exactly when each coordinate function $x,y,z$ is harmonic.

Forthe isothermal conditions areand harmonicity givesConsequentlyand the isothermal equation reduces toThese are all the solutions for which $f$ never vanishes. When $AB>0$ they parameterize a catenoid, up to translations, reflection and scaling. The limiting cases $AB=0$, $c=0$, with exactly one of $A,B$ nonzero, parameterize a punctured plane.

An immersed submanifold of $M$ is a manifold $N$ with an injective immersion $\iota :N\to M$. It is an embedded submanifold when $\iota$ is also a homeomorphism onto its image with the subspace topology, equivalently when it is a smooth embedding.

A smooth map $i:N\to M$ is a smooth embedding when it is an injective immersion and a homeomorphism onto its image with the subspace topology. The unit sphere is the inverse image of the regular value $1$ under $x\mapsto |x{|}^2$, so the preimage theorem makes it a smooth submanifold of ${\mathbb{R}}^{n+1}$ and its inclusion an immersion. It is injective, and a continuous injection from the compact sphere into the Hausdorff Euclidean space is a homeomorphism onto its image. Thus the inclusion is an embedding.

Products of spheres can be embedded by iterated spinning. Start with a round $S^{n_1}\subset {\mathbb{R}}^{n_1+1}$ translated into the half-space whose last coordinate $r$ is positive. If a compact $m$-manifold $N$ is embedded bythenis an injective immersion; compactness again makes it an embedding. Iterating with $q=n_2,\dots ,n_k$ embeds $S^{n_1}\times \cdots \times S^{n_k}$ in ${\mathbb{R}}^{n+1}$, where $n={\sum }_i{n}_i$.

For a smooth map $f:M\to N$, the pullback of a Riemannian metric is $(f^{\ast }g{)}_p(u,v)=g_{f(p)}(d{f}_{p}u,d{f}_{p}v)$. It is positive definite precisely when $d{f}_p$ is injective at every point, that is, when $f$ is an immersion. In coordinates, $(f^{\ast }g{)}_{ij}=g_{ab}(f(y)){\partial }_i{f}^a{\partial }_j{f}^b$.

For a map $f:{\mathbb{RP}}^{2k+1}\to {\mathbb{CP}}^k$ nontrivial on degree-two mod-two cohomology, an immersion in the homotopy class of $(f,f)$ has a rank-$(2k-1)$ normal bundle with total Stiefel–Whitney class $(1+x{)}^{2k+2}$. Its forbidden degree-$2k$ Stiefel–Whitney class is $(k+1)x^{2k}$, so $k$ must be odd.