On minimal surfaces bounded by two convex curves in parallel planes (Q5893773)

The author considers the following problem: A minimal surface S in \(R^ 3\) is bounded by two plane convex curves \(\Gamma_ 0\), \(\Gamma_ 1\) lying in parallel planes, that is if the minimal surface is parametrized by \(x=x(\tau,t)\), \(y=y(\tau,t)\), \(z=t\) the two convex plane curves lie in the planes \(z=t_ 0\), \(z=t_ 1\) respectively. Then, \textit{M. Shiffman} [Ann. Math., II. Ser. 63, 77-90 (1956; Zbl 0070.168)] has already proved that, under these assumptions, the intersection of S with a plane parallel to the planes of \(\Gamma_ 0\), \(\Gamma_ 1\) is again a strictly convex curve. The author improves this result by proving that the curvature K of the convex curves \(\Gamma_{\tau}=S\cap \{z=t\}\) takes its minimum on \(\Gamma_ 0\cup \Gamma_ 1\). (The first who considered the minimal surfaces between two parallel circles was Euler [see Collected Works].) The argument to prove the result is based on a standard maximum principle applied to an elliptic operator obtained by the minimal surface equation in normal coordinates. Moreover the author can prove an estimate for the curvature in any point P on S \[ lg K(P)\geq (1-t)lg K_ 0+t lg K_ 1, \] where \(K_ 0\), \(K_ 1\) are the minimum curvatures of \(\Gamma_ 0\) and \(\Gamma_ 1\), and \(t_ 0=0\), \(t_ 1=1\). He can also prove that if \(K^*(T)\) is the curvature of the circle obtained by intersecting \(S^*\), the surface of revolution of minimum area bounded by two parallel circles \(\Gamma^*_ 0\), \(\Gamma^*_ 1\) with common axis of symmetry, lying in the same planes as \(\Gamma_ 0\) and \(\Gamma_ 1\), and with curvature \(K_ 0\) and \(K_ 1\) then \[ K(P)\geq K^*(t),\quad for\quad P\in \Gamma_ t. \] An explicit necessary condition in terms of \(| t_ 0-t_ 1|\) and the length of \(\Gamma_ 0\) and \(\Gamma_ 1\) for the minimal surface to exist is also obtained.