We compute future timelike and nonspacelike reachable sets from the origin for a class of contact sub-Lorentzian metrics on ℝ³. Then we construct non-smooth (and therefore non-Hamiltonian) null geodesics for these metrics. As a consequence we deduce that the sub-Lorentzian distance from the origin is continuous at points belonging to the boundary of the reachable set.

In this paper, first we introduce a new notion of commuting condition that $\phi {\phi }_{1}A=A{\phi }_1\phi$ between the shape operator $A$ and the structure tensors $\phi$ and ${\phi }_1$ for real hypersurfaces in $G_2\left({ℂ}^{m+2}\right)$. Suprisingly, real hypersurfaces of type $\left(A\right)$, that is, a tube over a totally geodesic $G_2\left({ℂ}^{m+1}\right)$ in complex two plane Grassmannians $G_2\left({ℂ}^{m+2}\right)$ satisfy this commuting condition. Next we consider a complete classification of Hopf hypersurfaces in $G_2\left({ℂ}^{m+2}\right)$ satisfying the commuting condition. Finally we get a characterization of Type $\left(A\right)$ in terms of such commuting...

The purpose of this paper is to investigate Ricci-flatness of left-invariant Lorentzian metrics on 2-step nilpotent Lie groups. We first show that if $〈,〉$ is a Ricci-flat left-invariant Lorentzian metric on a 2-step nilpotent Lie group $N$, then the restriction of $〈,〉$ to the center of the Lie algebra of $N$ is degenerate. We then characterize the 2-step nilpotent Lie groups which can be endowed with a Ricci-flat left-invariant Lorentzian metric, and we deduce from this that a Heisenberg Lie group $H_{2n+1}$ can be...