Eigenvalue estimate and compactness for closed \(f\)-minimal surfaces (Q473108)

For a Riemannian manifold \((N,g)\) with a smooth function \(f\), the Bakry-Émery Ricci curvature is given by \(\text{Ric}_f:=\text{Ric} +{\nabla}^2 f.\) Here \({\nabla}^2f\) denotes the Hessian of \(f.\) A hypersurface \(\Sigma \subset N\) is called \textit{\(f\)-minimal,} if the mean curvature \(H\) of the hypersurface satisfies \(H=\langle{\nabla}f,\nu\rangle.\) Here \({\nabla} f\) denotes the gradient of \(f\) and \(\nu\) a unit normal vector field. The weighted Laplacian of a Riemannian manifold \((N,g)\) is given by: \(\Delta_f:=\Delta -\langle \nabla f, \nabla \cdot\rangle\). Then, the following eigenvalue estimate for the weighted Laplacian \(\Delta_f\) on an \(f\)-minimal hypersurface is shown: Let \((M,\overline{g})\) be a complete and noncompact manifold with Bakry-Émery Ricci curvature \(\overline{\text{Ric}}\geq k\) for a positive constant \(k\). Let \(\Sigma \subset M\) be a closed embedded \(f\)-minimal hypersurface in \(M\) which is contained in a bounded domain \(D\) in \(M\) with convex boundary \(\partial D\). The first eigenvalues \(\lambda_1(\Delta_f)\) of the weighted Laplacian on \(\Sigma\) satisfies: \[ \lambda_1\left(\Delta_f\right)\geq \frac{k}{2}. \] Applications of this estimate for compactness results for spaces of closed embedded \(f\)-minimal surfaces in complete three-dimensional manifolds are presented.