Constant mean curvature foliation of globally hyperbolic \((2 + 1)\)-spacetimes with particles (Q2312740)

The paper's goal is to extend a result due to [\textit{T. Barbot} et al., C. R., Math., Acad. Sci. Paris 336, No. 3, 245--250 (2003; Zbl 1026.53015); Ann. Inst. Fourier 61, No. 2, 511--591 (2011; Zbl 1234.53019)], which states that any 3-dimensional globally hyperbolic spacetime which is maximal (i.e., it cannot be isometrically embedded into another, strictly larger 3-dimensional globally hyperbolic spacetime in such a way that Cauchy surfaces are sent into Cauchy surfaces), Cauchy compact (i.e., its Cauchy surfaces are compact) and has constant sectional curvature admits a unique foliation by Cauchy surfaces with constant mean curvature. The authors' purported extension concerns 3-dimensional spacetimes with a singular metric whose singular locus is a finite number of time-like geodesics. More precisely, the paper deals with 3-dimensional globally hyperbolic spacetimes locally modelled along modifications of the simply connected 3-dimensional Lorentz space forms (Minkowski, de Sitter and anti-de Sitter spacetimes) meant to introduce cone singularities. These modifications are built in the following way: one takes a subset of each such space form which is a closed wedge of angle $\theta\in(0,\pi)$ whose edge is a time-like geodesic and identify both surfaces at the boundary of the wedge meeting at the edge. The result is a spacetime locally isometric to the original space form outside the edge, which becomes a (conical) singular locus for the metric. The spacetimes of interest for the paper -- called Convex Globally Hyperbolic Maximal (CGHM) manifolds with particles -- are 3-dimensional spacetimes $(M,g)$ locally isometric to some of these singular quotients which satisfy in addition the following requirements: \begin{itemize} \item $M$ contains a Cauchy surface $S$ orthogonal to the singular locus of $g$ which is strictly future-convex (i.e., the closure $K=\overline{I^+(S)}$ of the chronological future $I^+(S)$ of $S$ is strictly convex: any geodesic segment whose endpoints belong to $K$ is contained in $I^+(S)$ with the sole possible exception of the endpoints themselves); \item $(M,g)$ cannot isometrically embed into a strictly larger 3-dimensional (singular) spacetime satisfying the previous requirements. \end{itemize} The paper's main result (Theorem 1.1) states that an appropriate analogue of the Barbot-Béguin-Zeghib theorem holds in this setting: If $(M,g)$ is a Convex Globally Hyperbolic Maximal (CGHM) manifold with particles, then it admits a unique foliation by constant mean curvature surfaces orthogonal to the singular locus of $g$. After the introduction in Section 1, the paper spends Sections 2 and 3 developing the geometrical context of 3-dimensional spacetimes with cone singularities. The connection of such spacetimes to Teichmüller theory is discussed in Section 2, from which the main analytic tools employed in the proof of Theorem 1.1 ensue. Section 3 isolates the precise class of spacetimes for which Theorem 1.1 holds, and proves a key technical result on constant mean curvature space-like surfaces in such spacetimes (Proposition 3.7). Sections 4 to 6 are dedicated to the proof of Theorem 1.1. The authors employ different methods depending on whether one is dealing with the flat case or the non-flat case. The techniques employed in the paper are different from the ones used by Barbot et al. [loc. cit.], and therefore also lead to a new proof of of the latter's result in the regular case.