On integral currents with constant mean curvature (Q1177655)

Let \(H: \Lambda^{m+k}\mathbb{R}^{m+k}\to\mathbb{R}^{m+k}\) be a tensor of type \((m,1)\) satisfying \(H(v_1\land\dots\land v_m)\perp [v_ 1,\dots,v_ m]\) for all \(v_1,\dots,v_m\in \mathbb{R}^{m+k}\) and let \(\Gamma\subset\mathbb{R}^{m+k}\) be an oriented compact \(m-1\) dimensional submanifold without boundary. A locally rectifiable \(m\)-current \(T\) in \(\mathbb{R}^{m+k}\) with finite mass \(\mathbb{M}(T)\) is said to have boundary \(\Gamma\) and prescribed constant mean curvature \(H\) if \(\partial T=[[\Gamma]]\) and \(\int Dg\cdot P_{\vec T}d\| T\|+\int gH(\vec T)\,d\| T\|=0\) for all \(g\in C_ 0^ 1(\mathbb{R}^{m+k},\mathbb{R}^{m+k})\) with \(spt g\subset\mathbb{R}^{m+k}\backslash\Gamma\). The geometric significance of this equation is the following: If \(T\) is locally at some point in \(\mathbb{R}^{m+k}\backslash\Gamma\) represented by an oriented \(C^2\)-surface with constant positive integer multiplicity then the mean curvature vectorfield of this manifold equals \(H(\vec T)\). The main result of the paper is an existence theorem for currents \(T\) with constant mean curvature \(H\) and boundary \(\Gamma\). It turns out that the above equation admits at least one solution if \(| H | < m(\alpha_{m+1} /A_ \Gamma)^{1/m}\), where \(A_ \Gamma\) denotes the mass of an area minimizing current with boundary \(\Gamma\) and \(\alpha_{m+1} =\mathbb{L}^{m+1}(\mathbb{B}^{m+1}(0,1))\). Results of this type are well known for parametric 2-dimensional surfaces of constant mean curvature in \(\mathbb{R}^ 3\) [\textit{H. C. Wente}, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 26, 318--344 (1969; Zbl 0181.11501); \textit{K. Steffen}, Math. Ann. 222, 97--144 (1976; Zbl 0345.49024)]. Our proof is inspired by the work of \textit{E. Gonzalez}, \textit{U. Massari} and \textit{I. Tamanini} [Indiana Univ. Math. J. 32, 25--37 (1983; Zbl 0486.49024)]. The same technique is also applied to a related volume constrained problem.