Differential geometry in the theory of Hessian operators

The paper introduces a new differential-geometric system which originates from the theory of $m$-Hessian operators. The core of this system is a new notion of invariant differentiation on multidimensional surfaces. This novelty gives rise to the following absolute geometric invariants: invariant derivatives of the surface position vector, an invariant connection on a surface via subsurface, curvature matrices of a hypersurface and its normal sections, $p$-curvatures and $m$-convexity of a hypersurface, etc. Our system also produces a new interpretation of the classic geometric invariants and offers new tools to solve geometric problems. In order to expose an application of renovated geometry we deduce an a priori $C^1$-estimate for solutions to the Dirichlet problem for $m$-Hessian equations.