International J.Math. Combin. Vol.

3 (2008), 51-55
Smarandache Curves in Minkowski Space-time
Melih Turgut and S uha Yilmaz
(Department of Mathematics of Buca Educational Faculty of Dokuz Eyl ul University, 35160 Buca-Izmir,Turkey.)
E-mail: melih.turgut@gmail.com, suha.yilmaz@yahoo.com
Abstract: A regular curve in Minkowski space-time, whose position vector is composed
by Frenet frame vectors on another regular curve, is called a Smarandache Curve. In this
paper, we dene a special case of such curves and call it Smarandache TB2 Curves in the
space E
4
1
. Moreover, we compute formulas of its Frenet apparatus according to base curve
via the method expressed in [3]. By this way, we obtain an another orthonormal frame of
E
4
1
.
Key Words: Minkowski space-time, Smarandache curves, Frenet apparatus of the curves.
AMS(2000): 53C50, 51B20.
1. Introduction
In the case of a dierentiable curve, at each point a tetrad of mutually orthogonal unit vectors
(called tangent, normal, rst binormal and second binormal) was dened and constructed,
and the rates of change of these vectors along the curve dene the curvatures of the curve in
Minkowski space-time [1]. It is well-known that the set whose elements are frame vectors and
curvatures of a curve, is called Frenet Apparatus of the curves.
The corresponding Frenets equations for an arbitrary curve in the Minkowski space-time
E
4
1
are given in [2]. A regular curve in Minkowski space-time, whose position vector is composed
by Frenet frame vectors on another regular curve, is called a Smarandache Curve. We deal with
a special Smarandache curves which is dened by the tangent and second binormal vector
elds. We call such curves as Smarandache TB
2
Curves. Additionally, we compute formulas
of this kind curves by the method expressed in [3]. We hope these results will be helpful to
mathematicians who are specialized on mathematical modeling.
2. Preliminary notes
To meet the requirements in the next sections, here, the basic elements of the theory of curves
in the space E
4
1
are briey presented. A more complete elementary treatment can be found in
the reference [1].
Minkowski space-time E
4
1
is an Euclidean space E
4
provided with the standard at metric
given by
1
Received August 16, 2008. Accepted September 2, 2008.
52 Melih Turgut and Suha Yilmaz
g = dx
2
1
+ dx
2
2
+ dx
2
3
+ dx
2
4
,
where (x
1
, x
2
, x
3
, x
4
) is a rectangular coordinate system in E
4
1
.
Since g is an indenite metric, recall that a vector v E
4
1
can have one of the three
causal characters; it can be space-like if g(v, v) > 0 or v = 0, time-like if g(v, v) < 0 and null
(light-like) if g(v, v)=0 and v = 0. Similarly, an arbitrary curve = (s) in E
4
1
can be locally
be space-like, time-like or null (light-like), if all of its velocity vectors

(s) are respectively

space-like, time-like or null. Also, recall the norm of a vector v is given by v =
_
|g(v, v)|.
Therefore, v is a unit vector if g(v, v) = 1. Next, vectors v, w in E
4
1
are said to be orthogonal
if g(v, w) = 0. The velocity of the curve (s) is given by

(s) .
Denote by {T(s), N(s), B
1
(s), B
2
(s)} the moving Frenet frame along the curve (s) in
the space E
4
1
. Then T, N, B
1
, B
2
are, respectively, the tangent, the principal normal, the rst
binormal and the second binormal vector elds. Space-like or time-like curve (s) is said to be
parametrized by arclength function s, if g(

(s),

(s)) = 1.
Let (s) be a curve in the space-time E
4
1
, parametrized by arclength function s. Then for
the unit speed space-like curve with non-null frame vectors the following Frenet equations
are given in [2]:
_

_
T

1
B

2
_

_
=
_

_
0 0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0 0
_

_
_

_
T
N
B
1
B
2
_

_
, (1)
where T, N, B
1
and B
2
are mutually orthogonal vectors satisfying equations
g(T, T) = g(N, N) = g(B
1
, B
1
) = 1, g(B
2
, B
2
) = 1.
Here , and are, respectively, rst, second and third curvature of the space-like curve .
In the same space, in [3] authors dened a vector product and gave a method to establish the
Frenet frame for an arbitrary curve by following denition and theorem.
Denition 2.1 Let a = (a
1
, a
2
, a
3
, a
4
), b = (b
1
, b
2
, b
3
, b
4
) and c = (c
1
, c
2
, c
3
, c
4
) be vectors in
E
4
1
. The vector product in Minkowski space-time E
4
1
is dened by the determinant
a b c =

e
1
e
2
e
3
e
4
a
1
a
2
a
3
a
4
b
1
b
2
b
3
b
4
c
1
c
2
c
3
c
4

, (2)
where e
1
, e
2
, e
3
and e
4
are mutually orthogonal vectors (coordinate direction vectors) satisfying
equations
e
1
e
2
e
3
= e
4
, e
2
e
3
e
4
= e
1
, e
3
e
4
e
1
= e
2
, e
4
e
1
e
2
= e
3
.
Smarandache Curves in Minkowski Space-time 53
Theorem 2.2 Let = (t) be an arbitrary space-like curve in Minkowski space-time E
4
1
with
above Frenet equations. The Frenet apparatus of can be written as follows;
T =

, (3)
N =

2
.

g(

).

_
_
_

2
.

g(

).

_
_
_
, (4)
B
1
= N T B
2
, (5)
B
2
=
T N

T N

, (6)
=
_
_
_

2
.

g(

).

_
_
_

4
(7)
=
T N

_
_
_

2
.

g(

).

_
_
_
(8)
and
=
g(
(IV )
, B
2
)
T N

, (9)
where is taken 1 or +1 to make +1 the determinant of [T, N, B
1
, B
2
] matrix.
3. Smarandache Curves in Minkowski Space-time
Denition 3.1 A regular curve in E
4
1
, whose position vector is obtained by Frenet frame vectors
on another regular curve, is called a Smarandache Curve.
Remark 3.2 Formulas of all Smarandache curves Frenet apparatus can be determined by the
expressed method.
Now, let us dene a special form of Denition 3.1.
Denition 3.3 Let = (s) be an unit space-like curve with constant and nonzero curvatures
, and ; and {T, N, B
1
, B
2
} be moving frame on it. Smarandache TB
2
curves are dened
with
X = X(s
X
) =
1
_

2
(s) +
2
(s)
(T(s) + B
2
(s)). (10)
Theorem 3.4 Let = (s) be an unit speed space-like curve with constant and nonzero cur-
vatures , and and X = X(s
X
) be a Smarandache TB
2
curve dened by frame vectors of
= (s). Then
54 Melih Turgut and Suha Yilmaz
(i) The curve X = X(s
X
) is a space-like curve.
(ii) Frenet apparatus of {T
X
, N
X,
B
1X
, B
2X
,
X
,
X
,
X
} Smarandache TB
2
curve X =
X(s
X
) can be formed by Frenet apparatus {T, N, B
1
, B
2
, , , } of = (s).
Proof Let X = X(s
X
) be a Smarandache TB
2
curve dened with above statement. Dif-
ferentiating both sides of (10), we easily have
dX
ds
X
ds
X
ds
=
1
_

2
(s) +
2
(s)
(N + B
1
). (11)
The inner product g(X

, X

) follows that
g(X

, X

) = 1, (12)
where

denotes derivative according to s. (12) implies that X = X(s
X
) is a space-like curve.
Thus, the tangent vector is obtained as
T
X
=
1
_

2
(s) +
2
(s)
(N + B
1
). (13)
Then considering Theorem 2.1, we calculate following derivatives according to s:
X

=
1

2
+
2
(
2
T N + B
1
+
2
B
2
). (14)
X

=
1

2
+
2
[T + (
3

2
)N + (
3

2
)B
1
+ B
2
]. (15)
X
(IV )
=
1

2
+
2
[(...)T + (...)N + (...)B
1
+ (
4

2
)B
2
]. (16)
Then, we form
X

2
.X

g(X

, X

).X

=
1

2
+
2
[
2
T N + B
1
+ B
2
]. (17)
Equation (17) yields the principal normal of X as
N
X
=

2
T N + B
1
+ B
2

4
+
2

2
+
2

2
+
2
. (18)
Thereafter, by means of (17) and its norm, we write rst curvature

X
=
_

4
+
2

2
+
2

2
+
2

2
+
2
. (19)
The vector product T
X
N
X
X

follows that
T
X
N
X
X

=
1
A
_
_
_
[(
2
+
2
)(
2
)T +
2
(
2
+ )N

2
(
2
+ )B
1
+ (
2
+
2
)(
2
+
2
)B
2
]
_
_
_
, (20)
where, A =
1

(
4
+
2

2
+
2

2
+
2
)(
2
+
2
)
. Shortly, let us denote T
X
N
X
X

with l
1
T +
l
2
N + l
3
B
1
+ l
4
B
2
. And therefore, we have the second binormal vector of X = X(s
X
) as
B
2X
=
l
1
T + l
2
N + l
3
B
1
+ l
4
B
2
_
l
2
1
+ l
2
2
+ l
2
3
+ l
2
4
. (21)
Smarandache Curves in Minkowski Space-time 55
Thus, we easily have the second and third curvatures as follows:

X
=

(l
2
1
+ l
2
2
+ l
2
3
+ l
2
4
)(
2
+
2
)

4
+
2

2
+
2

2
+
2
, (22)

X
=

2
(
2

2
)
(
2
+
2
)
_
l
2
1
+ l
2
2
+ l
2
3
+ l
2
4
. (23)
Finally, the vector product N
X
T
X
B
2X
gives us the rst binormal vector
B
1X
=
1
L
_
_
_
[(l
3

2
l
2
(
2
+
2
)l
4
]T (
2
l
4
+ l
1
)N
+(
2
l
4
+ l
1
)B
1
+ [
2
(l
2

2
l
3
) + l
1
(
2
+
2
)]B
2
_
_
_
, (24)
where L =
1

(l
2
1
+l
2
2
+l
2
3
+l
2
4
)(
2
+
2
)(
4
+
2

2
+
2

2
+
2
)
.
Thus, we compute Frenet apparatus of Smarandache TB
2
curves.
Corollary 3.1 Suce it to say that {T
X
, N
X,
B
1X
, B
2X
} is an orthonormal frame of E
4
1
.
Acknowledgement
The rst author would like to thank TUBITAK-BIDEB for their nancial supports during his
Ph.D. studies.
References
[1] B. ONeill, Semi-Riemannian Geometry, Academic Press, New York, 1983.
[2] J. Walrave, Curves and surfaces in Minkowski space. Dissertation, K. U. Leuven, Fac. of
Science, Leuven, 1995.
[3] S. Yilmaz and M. Turgut, On the Dierential Geometry of the curves in Minkowski space-
time I, Int. J. Contemp. Math. Sci. 3(27), 1343-1349, 2008.