On stable surfaces of constant Gauss curvature in space forms (Q1894605)

Let \(x : M^2 \to N^3(c)\) be a surface \(M^2\) of constant curvature \(K_e\) in a simply-connected 3-manifold of constant curvature \(c\). Here \(K_e\) is the extrinsic curvature, i.e., the product of the principal curvatures of \(M\). It is known that \(x\) is a solution to the variational problem of finding the critical points of the integral \(A_1\) of the mean curvature \(H\) of \(M\) for compactly supported variations that preserve volume. We say that \(x\) is stable if for all such variations the second derivative of the functional \(A_1\) is positive. Assume that \(K_e > 0\). Then \(H\) does not change sign and we can assume that \(H > 0\). The following result is proved in this paper. Let \(D\) be a simply-connected domain of \(M\) and assume that \[ \int_D {H(K_e + c)\over K^{1/2}_e} dV \leq 2\pi. \] Then \(D\) is stable and the bound is sharp. The proof uses the method in \textit{J. L. Barbosa} and the reviewer, Math. Z. 173, 13-28 (1980; Zbl 0432.53039) together with estimates which are appropriate to the present case.