On a Class of Finsler Metrics of Scalar Flag Curvature

Abstract

We have shown that the Beltrami Theorem in Riemannian geometry is still true for square metrics if the dimension $n\ge 3$, namely, an $n(\ge 3)$-dimensional square metric is locally projectively flat if and only if it is of scalar flag curvature. In this paper, we go on with the study of the Beltrami Theorem for a larger class of $(\alpha,\beta)$-metrics $F=\alpha\phi(\beta/\alpha)$ including square metrics, where $\phi(s)$ is determined by a family of known ODEs satisfied by projectively flat $(\alpha,\beta)$-metrics. For this class, we prove that the Beltrami Theorem holds if $\beta$ is closed, and in particular, we prove that $\beta$ must be closed for a subclass with $\phi(s)$ being a polynomial of degree two. Further, we obtain the local and in part the global classifications to those metrics of scalar flag curvature.