The Björling problem for prescribed mean curvature surfaces in \(\mathbb{R}^3\) (Q2423301)

The author studies the Björling problem for prescribed mean curvature surfaces in \(\mathbb R^3\). The classical version of such a problem is the following: Given a regular analytic curve \(\beta(s)\) in \(\mathbb R^3\) and an analytic distribution of oriented planes \(\Pi(s)\) along \(\beta(s)\) such that \(\beta'(s)\in \Pi(s)\), find all minimal surfaces in \(\mathbb R^3\) containing \(\beta(s)\) and such that the tangent plane distribution along \(\beta(s)\) is given by \(\Pi(s)\). An overview of the classical literature on the subject is presented in the introduction. In this paper, the author studies the case of prescribed mean curvature: an oriented, immersed surface \(\Sigma\subset\mathbb R^3\) is said to have prescribed mean curvature \(\mathcal H\in C^1(\mathbb S^2)\) if the mean curvature \(H_\Sigma\) satisfies \[ H_\Sigma(p)=\mathcal H(\eta_p) \] where \(\eta:\Sigma\to\mathbb S^2\) is the Gauss map of \(\Sigma\). The Björling problem is then modified by asking that \(\Sigma\) has prescribed curvature \(\mathcal H\). For \(\mathcal H\), \(\beta\) and \(\Pi\) analytic, the author shows in Proposition 2 existence and uniqueness of solutions to the Björling problem for prescribed curvature surfaces. He then applies the results to obtain the first known examples of self-translating solitons of the mean curvature flow with the topology of a Möbius strip. Further examples are provided in the last section of the paper.