Limit of Gaussian and normal curvatures of surfaces in Riemannian approximation scheme for sub-Riemannian three dimensional manifolds and Gauss-Bonnet theorem

Abstract

The authors Balogh-Tyson-Vecchi in arXiv:1604.00180 utilize the Riemannian approximations scheme $(\mathbb H^1,<,>_L)$, in the Heisenberg group, introduced by Gromov, to calculate the limits of Gaussian and normal curvatures defined on surfaces of $\mathbb H^1$ when $L\rightarrow\infty$. They show that these limits exist (unlike the limit of Riemannian surface area form or length form), and they obtain Gauss-Bonnet theorem in $\mathbb H^1$ as limit of Gauss-Bonnet theorems in $(\mathbb H^1,<,>_L)$ when $L$ goes to infinity. This construction was extended by Wang-Wei in arXiv:1912.00302 to the affine group and the group of rigid motions of the Minkowski plane. We generalize constructions of both papers to surfaces in sub-Riemannian three dimensional manifolds following the approach of arXiv:1909.13341, and prove analogous Gauss-Bonnet theorem.