A note on the stability of the Wulff shape (Q2505189)

Let \(\mathcal{F}\) be the elliptic parametric functional defined, for any closed oriented immersed hypersurface \(X: M\to\mathbb{R}^{n+1}\), by \(\mathcal{F}(X): = \int_{M}F(N)\,dA,\) where \(N: M\to\mathbb{S}^n\) is the Gauss map on \(M\) and \(F: \mathbb{S}^n\to\mathbb{R}^+\) a fixed elliptic function. In particular, \(F\) coincides with the support function of a set in \(\mathbb{R}^{n+1}\) bounded by a convex hypersurface -- the so-called Wulff shape of \(F\). The main result of this paper is a new proof of a result of \textit{B. Palmer} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 126, No. 12, 3661--3667 (1998; Zbl 0924.53009)] which states that the Wulff shape is the unique closed \(\mathcal{F}\)-stable immersed hypersurface. Such a result can be seen as a natural generalization of the famous result of \textit{J. L. Barbosa} and \textit{M. P. do Carmo} [Math. Z. 185, 339--353 (1984; Zbl 0513.53002)], which states that the round sphere is, up to translation and dilatation, the only stable hypersurface with constant mean curvature. Indeed, the Wulff shape has constant \(F\)-mean curvature and minimizes \(\mathcal{F}\). The new proof of the above result relies on a systematic investigation of the anisotropic index form associated to \(\mathcal{F}\) and the \(\mathcal{F}\)-analogue of the Jacobi operator.