Area minimizing discs in metric spaces (Q509955)

The paper under review deals with the classical Plateau problem in the setting of metric spaces, cf. [\textit{I. G. Nikolaev}, Sib. Math. J. 20, 246--252 (1979; Zbl 0434.53045)], [\textit{C. Mese} and \textit{P. R. Zulkowski}, J. Differ. Geom. 85, No. 2, 315--356 (2010; Zbl 1250.53066)], [\textit{P. Overath} and \textit{H. von der Mosel}, Manuscr. Math. 143, No. 3--4, 273--316 (2014; Zbl 1297.49074)]. Various kinds of mappings to metric spaces satisfying natural additional conditions are considered, several notions of parameterized area induced by mappings are analyzed, the existence of area minimizing discs in metric spaces is discussed, and numerous deep results generalizing classical theorems of Douglas and Rado are proved. For instance, it is shown that the Plateau problem has a solution in any proper metric space \(X\), i.e., among all disc-type surfaces spanning a prescribed Jordan curve in \(X\) there always exists an area minimizing disc and moreover this disc has a quasi-conformal parametrization. Besides, the interior and boundary regularity of area minimizing discs in metric spaces is discussed.