An isoperimetric inequality for the thread problem

The thread problem is to find and characterize the surface(s) of least area in the family of surfaces in \({\mathbb R}^n\) each of which has as its boundary a curve consisting of two parts: a fixed curve \(C_0\) of length \(L_0\) and a variable curve \(C\) of fixed length \(L,\) where \(L\leq L_0.\) The least area of surfaces in this family will be denoted by \(A.\) A scale invariant isoperimetric inequality for this problem would take the form \(A\leq L_0^2 f(L/L_0)\) with \(f\) a continuous function satisfying \(f(1)= 0.\) If the curves \(C_0\) and \(C\) are instead \(k\)-dimensional surfaces with masses \(L_0\) and \(L,\) respectively, and if \(A\) is the least \((k+1)\)-dimensional mass of the \((k+1)\)-dimensional surfaces in the analogous family of surfaces, then the scale invariant isoperimetric inequality would be \(A\leq (L_0)^{(k+1)/k} f(L/L_0).\) The author shows that if \(C_0\) and \(C\) are rectifiable curves, then the first isoperimetric inequality holds with \(f(t)=\sqrt{(1-t)/6}.\) The author also shows, in the higher dimensional case, if \(C_0\) and \(C\) are closed surfaces, then the second isoperimetric inequality holds with \(f(t)=\gamma_{k+1} (1-t),\) where \(\gamma_{k+1}\) is the optimal isoperimetric inequality. The proof in the higher dimensional case uses techniques and facts from F. Almgren's proof of the optimal isoperimetric inequality [\textit{F. Almgren}, Indiana Univ. Math. J. 35, 451-547 (1986; Zbl 0597.49029)].

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