A local monotonicity formula for mean curvature flow (Q5953609)

Let \((M_t), t \in (a,b)\) be finite dimensional submanifolds of \(\Re^{n+k}\). A mean curvature flow is established through immersions \(x_t= x(\cdot,t): M \rightarrow \Re^{n+k}\) such that the image \(M_t\) of the manifold satisfies the evolution equation: \[ {\partial x \over \partial t} = \vec{H},\tag{1} \] where \(\vec{H}\) denotes the mean curvature vector of \(M_t\) at \(x(p,t)\) for \((p,t) \in M \times (a,b)\). In this article a local monotonicity formula is established for the mean curvature flow, motivated by a mean value formula for solutions of the heat equation, due to \textit{N. A. Watson} [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc., III. Ser. 26, 385-417 (1973; Zbl 0253.35045)]. The author observes that Equation (1) is a weakly parabolic equation drawing ideas from minimal submanifolds; these turn out as stationary solutions of the flow. The author had previously obtained log-Sobolev inequalities [J. Reine Angew. Math. 522, 105-118 (2000; Zbl 0952.46021)] to derive an integral bound for the heat kernel of a submanifold which is a solution of the mean curvature evolution Equation (1) defined by \textit{L. Gross} [J. Funct. Anal. 102, No. 2, 268-313 (1991; Zbl 0742.22003)]. This paper is well written, and includes a valuable bibliography. For other mean curvature flow equation studies see \textit{U. F. Mayer} [Exp. Math. 10, No. 1, 103-107 (2001; Zbl 0982.53061)] and \textit{E. De Giorgi} [Conjectures on limits of some quasilinear parabolic equations and flow by mean curvature, Pitman Res. Notes Math. Ser. 269, 85-95 (1992; Zbl 0802.35063)].