Graph immersions with parallel cubic form

Abstract

We consider non-degenerate graph immersions into affine space $\mathbb A^{n+1}$ whose cubic form is parallel with respect to the Levi-Civita connection of the affine metric. There exists a correspondence between such graph immersions and pairs $(J,\gamma)$, where $J$ is an $n$-dimensional real Jordan algebra and $\gamma$ is a non-degenerate trace form on $J$. Every graph immersion with parallel cubic form can be extended to an affine complete symmetric space covering the maximal connected component of zero in the set of quasi-regular elements in the algebra $J$. It is an improper affine hypersphere if and only if the corresponding Jordan algebra is nilpotent. In this case it is an affine complete, Euclidean complete graph immersion, with a polynomial as globally defining function. We classify all such hyperspheres up to dimension 5. As a special case we describe a connection between Cayley hypersurfaces and polynomial quotient algebras. Our algebraic approach can be used to study also other classes of hypersurfaces with parallel cubic form.