The exterior algebra \(\Lambda ^ kR^ n\) and area minimization (Q1071256)

It is already known that the geometry of area-minimizing submanifolds in \(R^ n\), i.e. compact k-dimensional submanifolds in \(R^ n\) which minimize area for fixed boundary, is closely connected with the faces of Grassmannians. The Grassmannian \(G(k,R^ n)\) of oriented k-planes in \(R^ n\) can be embedded into the k-th exterior power \(\Lambda_ kR^ n\). If \(P\in G(k,R^ n)\) has an oriented orthonormal basis \(e_ 1,...,e_ k\) then we assign to P the element \(e_ 1\wedge...\wedge e_ k\in \Lambda_ kR^ n\). For a linear form \(\phi\) on \(\Lambda_ kR^ n\) the face of \(G(k,R^ n)\) corresponding to \(\phi\) is defined as the locus of points of \(G(k,R^ n)\) at which \(\phi\) attains its maximum on \(G(k,R^ n).\) The problem of description of faces of \(G(k,R^ n)\) is generally very difficult. The author describes all faces in \(G(2,R^ 4)\) and presents a classification of faces in \(G(3,R^ 6)\). In the last section he proves in low dimensions and codimensions a comass equality for Cartesian products, and establishes a theorem about the product of mass-minimizing normal currents. Using this last theorem he obtains new examples of area- minimizing integral currents with singularities.