Mean curvature flow of area decreasing maps between Riemann surfaces (Q1691979)

Let \((M,g_M)\) and \((N,g_N)\) be complete Riemann surfaces, with \((M,g_M)\) being compact. A smooth map \(f:M\rightarrow N\) is called \textit{area-decreasing} if \(|\mathrm{Jac}(f)|\leq 1\). If \(|\mathrm{Jac}(f)|<1\) the map is called \textit{strictly area-decreasing}, and it is said \textit{area-preserving} if \(|\mathrm{Jac}(f)|=1\). In this paper the authors deform area-decreasing maps \(f\) by evolving their corresponding graphs \(\Gamma(f):=\{(x,f(x))\in M\times N:x\in M\}\), under the mean curvature flow in the Riemannian product 4-manifold \((M\times N,g_{M\times N}=\pi^\ast_Mg_M+\pi^\ast_Mg_N)\). The main result of the paper is the following theorem ``which generalizes all the previous known results for area-decreasing maps between Riemann surfaces evolving under the mean curvature flow''. Theorem A. Let \((M,g_M)\) and \((N,g_N)\) be complete Riemann surfaces, \(M\) being compact and \(N\) having bounded geometry. Let \(f:M\rightarrow N\) be a smooth area-decreasing map. Suppose that the sectional curvatures \(\sigma_M\) of \(g_M\) and \(\sigma_N\) of \(g_N\) are related by min\(\sigma_M\geq\) sup \(\sigma_N \). Then, there exists a family of smooth area-decreasing maps \(f_t:M\rightarrow N, t\in[0,\infty),f_0=f\), such that the graphs \(\Gamma(f_t)\) of \(f_t\) move by the mean curvature flow in \((M\times N,g_{M\times N})\). Furthermore, there exist only two possible categories of initial data sets and corresponding solutions: I) The curvatures \(\sigma_M\) and \(\sigma_N\) are constant and equal and the map \(f_0\) is area-preserving. In this category, each \(f_t\) is area-preserving and \(\Gamma(f_t)\) smoothly converges to a minimal Lagrangian graph \(\Gamma(f_\infty)\) in \(M\times N\), with respect to the symplectic form \(\Omega_{M\times N}:=\pi^\ast_M\Omega_M\mp \pi^\ast_N\Omega_N\), depending on whether \(f_0\) is orientation-preserving or reversing, respectively. Here \(\Omega_M\) and \(\Omega_N\) are positively oriented volume forms on \(M\) and \(N\), respectively. II) All other possible cases. In this category, for \(t>0\) each map \(f_t\) is strictly area-decreasing. Moreover, depending on the sign of \(\sigma:=\)min\(\sigma_M\) we have the following behaviors: {\parindent=7mm\begin{itemize}\item[a)] If \(\sigma>0\), then the family \(\Gamma(f_t)\) smoothly converges to the graph of a constant map. \item[b)] If \(\sigma=0\) and \(N\) is compact, then \(\Gamma(f_t)\) smoothly converges to a totally geodesic graph \(\Gamma(f_\infty)\) of \(M\times N\). The same result still holds if \(N\) is non-compact and \(f\) is homotopic to a minimal map. \item[c)] If \(\sigma<0\) and \(N\) is compact, then \(\Gamma(f_t)\) smoothly converges to a minimal surface \(M_\infty\) of \(M\times N\). \end{itemize}} The same result still holds if \(N\) is non-compact and \(f\) is homotopic to a minimal map. The authors say that ``some parts of Theorem A, especially in the case where \(\sigma_M\) and \(\sigma_N\) are constant, are already known''. Among the authors who have obtained the same results or some similar ones are: [the second author, ``A canonical way to deform a Lagrangian submanifold'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:dg-ga/9605005}; Springer Proc. Math. 17, 231--274 (2012; Zbl 1247.53004); Math. Z. 240, No. 4, 849--883 (2002; Zbl 1020.53045)]; \textit{M.-T. Wang} [Math. Res. Lett. 8, No. 5--6, 651--661 (2001; Zbl 1081.53056); J. Differ. Geom. 57, No. 2, 301--338 (2001; Zbl 1035.53094)] and \textit{K.-W. Lee} and \textit{Y.-I. Lee} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 363, No. 11, 5745--5759 (2011; Zbl 1242.53081)]. Another result of the paper is the following theorem regarding some curvature decay estimates: Theorem B. Let \((M,g_M)\) and \((N,g_N)\) be Riemann surfaces as in Theorem A and \(f:M\rightarrow N\) a smooth strictly area-decreasing map. Suppose that the sectional curvatures \(\sigma_M\) of \(g_M\) and \(\sigma_N\) of \(g_N\) are related by \(\sigma:=\)min \(\sigma_M\geq \)sup \(\sigma_N\). Then we have the following decay destimates for the mean curvature flow of the graph of \(f\) in \((M\times N,g_{M\times n})\): a) If \(\sigma>0\), then there exists a uniform time-independent constant \(C\) such that the norm of the second fundamental form \(A\) satisfies \(|A|^2\leq Ct^{-1}\). b) If \(\sigma=0\), then there exists a uniform time-independent constant \(C\) such that the norm of the second fundamental form and the mean curvature satisfy \(|A|^2\leq C,\int_M |A|^2\Omega_{g(t)}\leq Ct^{-1}\) and \(|H|^2\leq Ct^{-1}\), where \(\Omega_{g(t)}\) is positively oriented volume form of \((M,g(t)\). c) If \(\sigma<0\), then there exists a uniform time-independent constant \(C\) such that \(|A|^2\leq C\). The authors also say about Theorem B that similar decay estimates, for the norm of the second fundamental form in the case \(\sigma>0\), where obtained by these authors in another article [Math. Ann. 361, No. 3--4, 725--740 (2015; Zbl 1398.53078)], by \textit{F. Lubbe} [Curvature estimates for graphical mean curvature flow in higher codimension. Hannover: Technische Informations- und Universitätsbibliothek Hannover (TIB) (2015)], and by the second author et al. [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 368, No. 11, 7763--7775 (2016; Zbl 1347.53054)].