Filling minimality of Finslerian 2-discs (Q641944)

Let the two-dimensional disc \(D^2\) be endowed with a Riemannian metric \(g_0\). The Riemannian space \((D^2,g_0)\) is said to be a \textit{minimal filling} if for every Riemannian metric \(g\) on \(D^2\) satisfying \(d_g(x,y)\geq d_{g_0}(x,y)\) for all \(x,y\) on the boundary \(\partial D^2\) one has \(area(D^2,g)\geq area(D^2,g_0)\). Here \(d_g\) denotes the distance defined by \(g\). The author calls \(g\) a metric \textit{with minimal geodesics} if every \(g\) - geodesic in the interior of \(D^2\) is a shortest path between its endpoints and he proves Theorem 1. Every Riemannian metric with minimal geodesics on \(D^2\) is a minimal filling. Then he proves a more general result. Theorem 2. Let \(\varphi_0\) be a Finsler metric with minimal geodesics on \(D^2\), and let \(\varphi\) be a Finsler metric on \(D^2\) such that \(d_{\varphi}(x,y)\geq d_{\varphi_0}(x,y)\) for all \(x,y \in \partial D^2\). Then \(\mathrm{vol}_2^{ht}(D^2,\varphi) \geq \mathrm{vol}_2^{ht}(D^2,\varphi_0)\), with equality if and only if \(\varphi \) is a metric with minimal geodesics whose boundary distance function equals that of \(\varphi_0\). Here \(\mathrm{vol}^{ht}(M,\varphi)\) denotes the Holmes-Thompson volume of the Finsler manifold \((M,\varphi)\). From his Theorem 2, the author derives a generalization of Pu's isosystolic inequality to Finsler metrics, both for the Holmes-Thompson and Busemann definitions of the Finsler area.