Optimal bilinear restriction estimates for general hypersurfaces and the role of the shape operator

It is known that under some transversality and curvature assumptions on the hypersurfaces involved, the bilinear restriction estimate holds true with better exponents than what would trivially follow from the corresponding linear estimates. This subject was extensively studied for conic and parabolic surfaces with sharp results proved by Wolff and Tao, and with later generalizations by Lee. In this paper we provide a unified theory for general hypersurfaces and clarify the role of curvature in this problem, by making statements in terms of the shape operators of the hypersurfaces involved.