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Minimal timelike surfaces in the Lorentz–Minkowski 3-space and their canonical parameters

Abstract

We study minimal timelike surfaces in \(\mathbb R^3_1\) using a special Weierstrass-type formula in terms of holomorphic functions defined in the algebra of the double (split-complex) numbers. We present a method of obtaining an equation of a minimal timelike surface in terms of canonical parameters, which play a role similar to the role of the natural parameters of curves in \(\mathbb R^3\). Having one holomorphic function that generates a minimal timelike surface, we find all holomorphic functions that generate the same surface. In this way we give a correspondence between a minimal timelike surface and a class of holomorphic functions. As an application, we prove that the Enneper surfaces are the only minimal timelike surfaces in \(\mathbb R^3_1\) with polynomial parametrization of degree 3 in isothermal parameters.

2020 Mathematics Subject Classification:

53A10, 53B30, 53C50

Keywords

timelike surfaces, canonical parameters, Weierstrass formula

Full text

Author Details

Ognian Kassabov

Institute of Mathematics and Informatics
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 8
1113, Sofia, Bulgaria
e-mail: okassabov@math.bas.bg

Velichka Milousheva

Institute of Mathematics and Informatics
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 8
1113, Sofia, Bulgaria
e-mail: vmil@math.bas.bg


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