On free boundary minimal submanifolds in geodesic balls in \(\mathbb{H}^n\) and \(\mathbb{S}^n_+\) (Q7006573)

The author investigates free boundary minimal submanifolds (FBMS) in geodesic balls in the hyperbolic space \(\mathbb{H}^n\) and the round upper hemisphere \(\mathbb{S}^n_+\). Building upon recent developments by \textit{V. Lima} and \textit{A. Menezes} [``Eigenvalue problems and free boundary minimal surfaces in spherical caps'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:2307.13556}], which linked FBMS in \(\mathbb{S}^n_+\) to extremal metrics for a certain functional involving Steklov eigenvalues, this paper proposes and studies natural higher-order generalizations of these functionals in both spherical and hyperbolic settings.\N\NTwo families of functionals are introduced on the space of Riemannian metrics on a compact surface with boundary: \(\mathcal{E}_{r,k}\) and \(\mathcal{F}_{r,k}\), parameterized by \(k\) and a geometric radius \(r\). These functionals are defined using generalized (Robin-type) Steklov eigenvalues with frequency \(\pm 2\). The author shows that metrics induced by FBMS in geodesic balls in \(\mathbb{H}^n\) or \(\mathbb{S}^n_+\) are extremal for these functionals, and conversely, any extremal metric arises from such an immersion. The analysis draws on variational principles, conformal deformation techniques, and spectral theory for boundary value problems.\N\NThe paper further investigates the Morse index of FBMS in geodesic balls, introducing a spectral index based on Steklov eigenvalues and establishing bounds relating it to the classical Morse index. As an application, the author computes the index of critical spherical catenoids in \(\mathbb{S}^3_+\) and \(\mathbb{H}^3\), showing it is exactly or at least \(4\). The index of geodesic \(k\)-balls in \(n\)-dimensional geodesic balls is shown to be \(n - k\), generalizing known Euclidean results.\N\NThis paper represents a significant contribution to the study of FBMS in non-Euclidean settings, enriching the variational framework and offering sharp index estimates. The work is technically sound and conceptually well-motivated, and it extends several important ideas from the Euclidean theory to the hyperbolic and spherical contexts in a natural and insightful manner.