Unstable minimal surfaces and Heegaard splittings (Q1124173)

This paper refines a result of \textit{J. T. Pitts} and \textit{J. H. Rubinstein} on the existence of an unstable minimal surface obtained from a Heegaard surface for a 3-manifold by a minimax process [Proc. Cent. Math. Anal. Aust. Natl. Univ. 10, 163-176 (1986; Zbl 0602.49028)], and then uses this to prove that the 3-torus has a unique genus three Heegaard splitting and to give an example of a genus four minimal surface in the 3-torus.