Special Lagrangian curvature (Q1934299)

\textit{F.~Labourie} [Geom. Funct. Anal. 7, No. 3, 496--534 (1997; Zbl 0885.32013)] has proved strong precompactness results for families of constant Gaussian curvature surfaces (\(k\)-surfaces) immersed in three-dimensional Riemannian manifolds. In further work [Invent. Math. 141, No. 2, 239--297 (2000; Zbl 0981.52002)], he proved the existence of complete surfaces of prescribed Gaussian curvature in three-dimensional Hadamard manifolds possessing certain geometric properties at infinity. The author of this paper subsequently made further developments in the theory of \(k\)-hypersurfaces in hyperbolic manifolds in [Bull. Soc. Math. Fr. 134, No. 4, 509--557 (2006; Zbl 1138.53051); ``Hyperbolic Plateau problems'', Geom. Dedicata 140, 95--135 (2009; Zbl 1169.57017), \url{arXiv:math/0506231}]. Here, the author generalises some of these results to higher dimensions. A key point is to identify a notion of curvature that plays the role in higher dimensions that the Gaussian curvature plays for surfaces. This is the special Lagrangian curvature, which can be defined as follows for locally strictly convex hypersurfaces. Let \(\Gamma\) denote the open cone of symmetric positive definite \(n\times n\) matrices. For \(A\in\Gamma\) let \(\lambda_1,\dots,\lambda_n\) be the eigenvalues of \(A\), and for \(\rho>0\) define \(SL_\rho(A)\) by \[ SL_\rho(A) = \roman{Arg}(\det(Id+i\rho A)) = \sum_{j=1}^n \arctan(\rho \lambda_j). \] \(SL_\rho\) is a strictly increasing function of \(\rho\), \(SL_0=0\) and \(SL_\infty=n\pi/2\). Thus, for all \(\theta\in(0,n\pi/2)\) there exists a unique \(\rho>0\) such that \(SL_\rho(A)=\theta\). Now define \(R_\theta(A)=\rho\). This is invariant under the action of \(O(n)\) on \(\Gamma\), so it can be used to define a curvature function \(R_\theta(\Sigma)\) on a locally strictly convex hypersurface \(\Sigma\) in a Riemannian manifold by taking \(A\) to be the shape operator of \(\Sigma\). The most interesting examples arise when \(\theta\in ((n-1)\pi/2, n\pi/2)\). In this case, \(R_\theta\) is positive in \(\Gamma\) and zero on \(\partial\Gamma\), so \(R_\theta\) is a curvature function of the type considered in many previous works. The extremal case \(\theta=(n-1)\pi/2\) is particularly interesting: if \(n=2\), \(R^{-2}_{\pi/2}=K\), the Gaussian curvature, and if \(n=3\), \(R^{-2}_\pi=K/H\) where \(H\) is the mean curvature. The following precompactness result for the special case \(n=3\) directly generalises Labourie's two-dimensional result. Theorem 1. Let \(M\) be a Riemannian manifold of dimension \(4\). Let \((\Sigma_n,p_n)_{n\in \mathbf N}\) be a family of pointed, immersed hypersurfaces in \(M\) and let \(K_n\) and \(H_n\) be the Gaussian and mean curvatures, respectively, of \(\Sigma_n\). Suppose that for each \(n\), \(K_n/H_n=\kappa\) where \(\kappa\) is a fixed positive number. Then either {\parindent=1.0cm\begin{itemize}\item[(i)] \((\Sigma_n,p_n)_{n\in \mathbf N}\) subconverges smoothly to a pointed immersed hypersurface \((\Sigma_0,p_0)\) in \(M\); or \item[(ii)] \((\Sigma_n,p_n)_{n\in \mathbf N}\) contains a subsequence which degenerates by converging to a complete geodesic. \end{itemize}} More general precompactness results are proved by the author for the special Lagrangian curvature, as well as for the very general setting of special Legendrian structures, which were introduced by \textit{R.~Harvey} and \textit{H.~B.~Lawson} [Acta Math. 148, 47--157 (1982; Zbl 0584.53021)]. Another result is the following local rigidity. Theorem 2. Let \(M\) be an \((n+1)\)-dimensional Riemannian manifold with negative sectional curvature bounded above by \(-1\). Let \(\Sigma=(S,i)\) and \(\Sigma'=(S,i')\) be two compact, convex, immersed hypersurfaces of constant \(\rho\)-special Lagrangian curvature equal to \(\theta\leq n\arctan(\rho)\). If \(i'\) is sufficiently close to \(i\) in the \(C^0\) topology, then \(i'=i\). A variety of interesting related results are also included, including a unique continuation principle and examples of hypersurfaces of constant special Lagrangian curvature.