A family of stratified area-minimizing cones (Q1974883)

Identify the set of \(p\) by \(q\) real matrices with \({\mathbb R}^{pq}\) and equip this space with the usual Euclidean metric. For \(0\leq r<p\leq q\), let \(C(p,q,r)\) denote the set of \(p\) by \(q\) matrices of rank less than or equal to \(r\), and denote by \(C_0(p,q,r)\) the intersection of \(C(p,q,r)\) with the unit ball. Each \(C(p,q,r)\) is a cone. As \(r\) varies, the cones are nested \[ \{0\}= C(p,q,0)\subset C(p,q,1)\subset \dots C(p,q,p-1) , \] and, as the authors show, each cone in the sequence is the singular set of the next. The authors use the method of directed slicing (developed by \textit{G. Lawlor} [Indiana Univ. Math. J. 47, No.~4, 1547-1592 (1998; Zbl 0944.49030)]) to investigate when \(C_0(p,q,r)\) is area-minimizing. When \(p+q\) is even, \(C_0(p,q,r)\) is orientable and is considered to be a rectifiable current. When \(p+q\) is odd, \(C_0(p,q,r)\) is not orientable and is considered to be a rectifiable current reduced modulo \(2\). The main result is as follows: (1) When \(p+q-2r = 2\), then \(C_0(p,q,r)\) is not area-minimizing, (2) when \(p+q-2r\geq 4\) and \(p+q\) is even, then \(C_0(p,q,r)\) is size minimizing and mass minimizing, (3) when \(p+q-2r\geq 4\) and \(p+q\) is odd, then \(C_0(p,q,r)\) has least mass modulo \(2\) among rectifiable currents reduced modulo \(2\) having the same reduced mod-\(2\) boundary. The case in which \(p+q-2r = 3\) remains open.