On a class of minimal hypersurfaces in \(\mathbb{R}^ n\) (Q1318131)

This article is based on the lecture by the late Prof. Qi-Ming Wang at the Oberwolfach Geometry Conference in October 1988. A substantial rewriting of the article has been performed by Prof. Ivan Sterlin (Toledo, USA). The article mainly deals with the class of minimal hypersurfaces in \(\mathbb{R}^ n\). Let \(M^*\) be an isoparametric minimal hypersurface in \(S^{n-1}\) with \(g\) distinct constant principal curvatures of multiplicities \(m_ 1\) and \(m_ 2\). The parallels of \(M^*\) are also constant principal curvature hypersurfaces except the two focal varieties \(V_ 1\) an \(V_ 2\), which are of codimension \(m_ 1+ 1\) and \(m_ 2+ 1\) in \(S^{n-1}\). This partition of \(S^{n-1}\) can be extended to all of \(\mathbb{R}^ n\) by homothetics. A hypersurface \(X\) in \(\mathbb{R}^ n\) is called \(F\)-invariant if it is a union of leaves of this singular foliation in \(\mathbb{R}^ n\), where \(F\) denotes the Cartan polynomial of \(M^*\). The simplest example of such hypersurfaces is the cone \(C(M^*)\) over \(M^*\). Main results of this paper are as follows: 1. Let \(C(M^*)\) be an isoparametric cone in \(\mathbb{R}^ n\), then the following are equivalent: i) \(C(M^*)\) is area minimizing; ii) \(C(M^*)\) is strictly area minimizing; iii) \(n\geq 4g\) and the integral triples \((g,m_ 1,m_ 2)\neq (2,1,5)\) or \((4,1,6)\). That is, \(C(M^*)\neq C(2,1,5)\) or \(C(4,1,6)\). 2. The isoparametric cones \(C(2,1,5)\) and \(C(4,1,6)\) are strictly stable but not area minimizing. 3. i) Every piece of an \(F\)-invariant minimal hypersurface in \(\mathbb{R}^ n\) can be extended to either the case \(C(M^*)\) or a smooth complete properly immersed \(F\)-invariant minimal hypersurface in \(\mathbb{R}^ n\). ii) When \(g>1\) and \(m_ 1\neq m_ 2\), two smooth \(F\)-invariant minimal hypersurfaces \(X_ 1\) and \(X_ 2\) are similar in \(\mathbb{R}^ n\) if and only if \(\varphi(X_ 1)= \varphi(X_ 2)\). iii) When \(\varphi(X)= 0\) (resp. \(\pi/g\)), \(X\) is diffeomorphic to \(S^{n-1}- V_ 2\) (resp. \(S^{n-1}- V_ 1\)); when \(\varphi(X)\in (0,\pi/g)\), \(X\) is diffeomorphic to \(S^{n-1}- (V_ 1\cup V_ 2)\cong M^*(- \infty,\infty)\). Moreover, there are some other interesting results in this paper.