Sharp eigenvalue bounds and minimal surfaces in the ball (Q261523)

Let \(M\) be smooth compact surface with boundary which is equipped with a Riemannian metric \(g\). Normalize \(g\) by assuming the length of the boundary to be \(1\). Let \(\lambda_1(M,g)\) be the first Steklov eigenvalue, i.e. the first eigenvalue of the Dirichlet to Neumann map on \(\partial S\). The authors show that a smooth maximizing metric exists once the conformal structure is controlled for a metric near the maximum and that the multiplicity of the eigenvalue is at least two. They also establish the boundedness of the conformal structure for nearly maximizing metrics in the genus 0 case with no constraint on the number of boundary components. The metrics on the annulus and the Mobius band are characterized. The first section contains an introduction to the problem where the basic results are stated and a historical context is presented. Section 2 introduces notational conventions and presents preliminary results. Section 3 deals with the Morse index of free boundary solutions on the ball. Section 4 treats properties of metrics with lower bounds on the first Steklov eigenvalue. Section 5 discusses the existence and regularity of extremal metrics provided that the conformal structure is bounded for any near maximal metric. The existence of smooth maximizing metrics on oriented surfaces of genus 0 with \(k\geq2\) boundary components is established as is the existence and regularity of such metrics on the Mobius band. Section 6 presents the uniqueness of the critical catenoid; it is shown that the critical catenoid is the only minimal annulus in \(B^n\) that is a free boundary solution such that the coordinate functions are the first eigenfunctions. Section 7 shows that the critical Mobius band admits a minimal embedding into \(B^4\) by first Steklov eigenfunctions and it is unique in this regard. Section 8 discusses the limit of extremal surfaces constructed previously as the parameter \(k\rightarrow\infty\).