Geometric flows by parallel hypersurfaces (Q6561331)

Let \(\bar{M}\) be a Riemannian manifold and \(M\) a hypersurface in \(\bar{M}\). A parallel hypersurface to \(M\) is obtained as \(M_r=\{\exp_p(r\eta_p):p\in M\}\), where \(\exp\) denotes the Riemannian exponential map, \(r\in\mathbb{R}\), and \(\eta\) is a unit normal vector field of \(M\). We say that \(M\) is isoparametric if all its sufficiently close parallel hypersurfaces have constant mean curvature.\N\NFollowing the notation of this paper, we denote by \(\mathbb{Q}_c^n\) a simply connected Riemannian manifold of constant curvature \(c\) and dimension \(n\), and by \(\mathbb{Q}_k^1\) a \(1\)-dimensional complete Riemannian manifold (that is, \(\mathbb{R}\) for \(k=0\), or the circle \(\mathbb{S}^1\) for \(k=1\)). Let now \(M\) be a hypersurface in \(\bar{M}=\mathbb{Q}_c^n\times\mathbb{Q}_k^1\). If \(\xi\) denotes a unit vector field tangent to \(\mathbb{Q}_k^1\), we can write \(\xi=T+\nu\eta\), where \(T\) is tangent to \(M\), \(\eta\) is a unit normal vector field of \(M\), and \(\nu\) is called the angle function. The main result of this paper is to prove that a hypersurface with constant angle function is isoparametric if and only if it evolves through the mean curvature flow by parallel hypersurfaces (that is, it is a solution of the mean curvature flow, and the solutions of the flow are parallel hypersurfaces).