Minimal shells containing a convex surface in Minkowski space (Q1817358)

Let \(K\) be an arbitrary but fixed convex body in \(\mathbb{R}^d\) with the origin 0 as interior point and center of symmetry and \(|\cdot |_K\) be the Minkowskian norm defined by the gauge body \(K\). Let further \(C\) be a compact convex set in \(\mathbb{R}^d\) and \(K(C,x)\) be the \(K\)-shell with center \(x\), given by \[ K(C,x):= \Bigl\{y\in\mathbb{R}^d \mid r(x):= \min_{y\in bd C} |y-x|_K\leq |y-x |_K\leq \max_{y\in bd C} |y-x |_K= :R(x) \Bigr\}. \] A \(K\)-shell \(K(C,x_0)\) is said to be a minimal \(K\)-shell of \(C\) with respect to the \(n\)-size \(\Delta_n(x): =R(x)^n-r(x)^n\) \((n\in\mathbb{N})\) if \(\Delta_n(x_0)= \min_{x\in C} \Delta_n (x)\). As main result the author shows, extending classical results in euclidean space, that a necessary condition for such a minimal \(K\)-shell is the existence of a set \(\{u_i\}_{i\in I}\) resp. \(\{u_j\}_{j\in J}\) of common unit outer normals to \(C\) and \(r(x_0) K+x_0\) resp. to \(C\) and \(R(x_0)K+x_0\) such that \[ \text{conv} \Biggl(\Bigl\{r(x_0)^{n-1} {u_i\over h_K(u_i)} \Bigr\}_{i \in I} \Biggr)\bigcap \text{conv} \Biggl(\Bigl\{R(x_0)^{n-1} {u_j\over h_K(u_j)} \Bigr\}_{j \in J} \Biggr) \neq\emptyset \] \((h_K\) support function of \(K\), \(|I|+ |J|\leq d+2)\). In the case of \(n=1\) this condition is not only necessary but also sufficient.