Plateau's problem in Finsler 3-space (Q2248942)

The authors study the Plateau problem in Finsler \(3\)-spaces by a variational approach directly minimizing the Finsler area. First they define the Busemann-Hausdorff volume form in order to obtain the Finsler area for an immersion \(X:\mathcal{M} \to \mathcal{N}\), where \(\mathcal{M}\) is \(m\)-dimensional and \(\mathcal{N}\) is \(n\)-dimensional. In Theorem 1.1 they obtain the explicit expression of the Cartan area integrand. The authors adopt the following General Assumption (GA) concerning the Finsler metrics. (GA) A Finsler metric \(F(x,y)\) on \(\mathcal{N}=\mathbb{R}^{m+1}\) has the property that its \(m\)-harmonic symmetrization \(F_{sym}(x,y)\) is also a Finsler metric on \(\mathbb{R}^{m+1}\). Then, the authors state the Plateau problem for the Finsler area (Theorem 1.2). The proof of Theorem 1.2 is presented later on, after obtaining some results concerning some explicit expressions giving the Finsler area as a Cartan functional. A convexity result for the expression \(\mathcal{A}^F(x,Z)\) used as an integrand in the expression of the Finsler area is proved. The authors obtain an isoperimetric inequality for area-minimizing surfaces in Finsler spaces and a theorem about higher regularity of Finsler-area minimizing surfaces. Finally, they present some conditions fulfilled by the Finsler metric \(F(x,y)\), its arithmetic symmetrization \(F_s\) and the antisymmetric part \(F_a\) of \(F\) in order for \(F\) to satisfy the assumption \((GA)\).