The area minimizing problem in conformal cones. I (Q2215830)

If \(M\) is a \(m\)-dimensional complete Riemannian manifold with a metric \(g\), and \(S\) is a \(C^2\) hypersurface in \(M\) with a normal vector \(\vec v\), then \(H_S=\text{div}\vec{v}\) is called the mean curvature of \(S\) with respect to \(\vec{v}\). If \(H_S\equiv 0\), then \(S\) is called minimal. If \(\partial\Omega\) is the boundary of a \(C^2\) domain \(\Omega\) in \(M\), then its outward normal vector is always taken outward. With this convention the mean curvature of the unit sphere \(S^n\) in Euclidean spaces \(\mathbb{R}^{n+1}\) is \(n\). If \(H_{\partial\Omega}\ge 0\), then \(\Omega\) is called a mean convex domain. If \(\Omega\) is an open bounded Riemannian manifold with \(C^2\) boundary and metric \(\sigma\), \(I=(-\infty,A)\) is an open interval, where \(A\) is a constant or \(\infty\), and \(\varphi(r)\) is a \(C^2\) positive function on \(I\), then \(Q_\varphi=(\Omega\times I,\varphi^2(r)(\sigma+dr^2))\) is said to be a conformal cone. If \(\Omega\) is a mean convex, then \(Q_\varphi\) is called a mean convex conformal cone. If \(\Omega\) is a \(n\)-dimensional Riemannian manifold with \(C^2\) boundary, then \(\Omega\) is said to have the non-closed-minimal property if (i) no closed embedded minimal hypersurface exists in \(\overline\Omega\) for \(n\le 7\) and (ii) no closed embedded minimal hypersurface with a closed singular set \(S\) with \(H^k(S)=0\), for any real number \(k>n-7\), exists in \(\overline\Omega\), where \(H^k\) denotes the \(k\)-dimensional Hausdorff measure on \(\Omega\). The Dirichlet problem is defined as \(\text{div}\!\left(\frac{D u}{\sqrt{1+|Du|^2}}\right)=\frac{n\varphi'(u(x))}{\varphi(u(x))\sqrt{1+|Du|^2}}\) for \(x\in\Omega\), and \(u(x)=\psi(x)\) for \(x\in\partial\Omega\), where \(\psi(x)\) is a continuous function on \(\partial\Omega\) and div is the divergence of \(\Omega\). In this paper, the authors study the area minimizing problem in conformal cones. This concept is a generalization of the cones in Euclidean spaces and the cylinders in product manifolds. The main result of the paper states that if \(\Omega\) is a \(C^2\) bounded domain with mean convex boundary and the non-closed-minimal property, and a positive \(C^2\) function \(\varphi(r)\) satisfies \[ \varphi'(r)>0\text{ on }(-\infty,A),\text{ and}\tag{*} \] \[ \left|\frac{\varphi'(r)}{\varphi(r)}\right|\leq \mu_0\text{ on }(-\infty,a) \text{ for some }a<A\text{ and a positive constant }\mu_0,\tag{**} \] then the Dirichlet problem admits a solution \(u\in C^2(\Omega)\cap C(\overline\Omega)\) for any \(\psi(x)\in C(\partial\Omega)\) satisfying \(\psi(x)<A\) on \(\partial\Omega\). In addition, if \((\log\varphi)''(r)\ge 0\), for all \(r\in(-\infty,A)\), such solution is unique. As an application of the main result, the authors establish the existence of bounded minimal graphs in mean convex conformal cones by showing that if \(\Omega\) is a \(C^2\) mean convex bounded domain with the non-closed-minimal property, and \(Q_\varphi\) is a conformal cone satisfying conditions \((*)\) and \((**)\), then there is a smooth function \(u(x)\) over \(\Omega\) such that its graph is a minimal graph in \(Q_\varphi\) with the infinity boundary \(\partial\Omega\times\{A\}\), where \(A\) is a finite number in the definition of \(\varphi\). Moreover, those minimal graphs are the solutions to corresponding area minimizing problems. The authors solve the area minimizing problem in non-mean convex translating conformal cones if these cones are contained in a larger mean convex conformal cones with the non-closed-minimal property assumption. They give examples to illustrate that this assumption cannot be removed from the main results.