Area-minimizing ruled graphs and the Bernstein problem in the Heisenberg group (Q2144433)

Bernstein's theorem states that an entire area-minimizing codimension-1 graph in \(\mathbb{R}^{n}\) is a plane when \(n \leq 8\). Analogues of Bernstein's theorem hold for many classes of surfaces in the Heisenberg group \(\mathbb{H}\). The Bernstein problem is a problem which lies in determining which classes of graphs satisfy an analogue of Bernstein's theorem, mainly, the Bernstein problem in \(\mathbb{H}\) is to find appropriate classes of variations of surfaces. The paper under review introduces new variations of ruled surfaces and use them to solve the Bernstein problem for ruled entire intrinsic graphs, where the author gives a necessary and a sufficient condition for a graphical strip in \(\mathbb{H}\) to be area-minimizing in the slab \(\{-1 < x < 1\}\). The proof of this result relies on constructing deformations of graphical strips through piecewise-ruled surfaces and computing the second variation of the area under such deformations. Then, the author uses this condition to show that Bernstein's theorem holds for the class of ruled intrinsic graphs, where he shows that an entire area-minimizing ruled intrinsic graph in \(\mathbb{H}\) is a vertical plane. Finally, this paper ends by constructing conjectural area-minimizing and energy-minimizing competitors for BP\(_{u}\), \(u\geq 0\), which is a surface made up of two vertical half-planes with slope \(\pm u\) connected by two wedges in the \(xy\)-plane.