On area-minimizing Pfaffian varieties (Q6147089)

The subject of the paper is marked by the landmark papers of Lawlor, Kerchove and others, see e.g. [\textit{G. R. Lawlor}, A sufficient criterion for a cone to be area-minimizing. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society (AMS) (1991; Zbl 0745.49029)], also by the same author, [Indiana Univ. Math. J. 47, No. 4, 1547--1592 (1998; Zbl 0944.49030)] and \textit{M. Kerckhove} and \textit{G. Lawlor} [Duke Math. J. 96, No. 2, 401--424 (1999; Zbl 0959.49024)], and references therein. In the paper under review the authors provide a variation of the remarkable Lawlor directed slicing method, altogether with extensions of other previous approaches by Kerchove, by introducing the notions of primitive and secondary slicing approaches ( Sections five and six ). Through their treatment it is proven an important result, that states that the Pfaffian varieties are stratified area-minimizing cones except for the cases of hypersurfaces, also providing new area-minimizing non-regular cones. By passing, it is giving a new alternative proof for the minimality of Pfaffian varieties.