Singularities for Focal Sets of Timelike Sabban Curves in de Sitter 3-Space

Abstract

In the theory of cosmology, de Sitter space is the symmetrical model of accelerated expansions of the universe. It is derived from the solution of the Einstein field equation, which has a positive cosmological constant. In this paper, we define the evolutes and focal surfaces of timelike Sabban curves in de Sitter space. We find that de Sitter focal surfaces can be regarded as caustics and de Sitter evolutes corresponding to the locus of the polar vectors of osculating de Sitter subspaces. By using singularity theory, we classify the singularities of the de Sitter focal surfaces and de Sitter evolutes and show that there is a close relationship between a new geometric invariant and the types of singularities. Moreover, the Legendrian dual relationships between the hyperbolic tangent indicatrix of timelike Sabban curves and the focal surfaces are given. Finally, we provide an example to illustrate our main results.

Keywords

• de Sitter space
• focal set
• invariant
• Legendrian duality
• singularity theory