Complete minimal hypersurfaces in hyperbolic n-manifolds (Q799954)

An n-dimensional hyperbolic space \(H^ n\) with sectional curvature \(K\equiv -1\) may be regarded as the interior of the unit n-ball or equivalently as the upper half space \(x_ n>0\) in \({\mathbb{R}}^ n\), in each case with a metric obtained by a conformal change of the Euclidean metric. The space \(H^ n\) possesses a boundary at infinity, \(H^ n(\infty)\), consisting of asymptote classes of geodesics, and it may be identified with the Euclidean boundary in each of the models, that is, with the unit (n-1)-sphere and the hyperplane \(x_ n=0\) respectively. In this article the author considers the following problems: Given a suitable set \(S\subseteq H^ n(\infty)\) can one find a minimal hypersurface N that is asymptotic at infinity to S? Secondly, can one find a \(\Gamma\)-invariant solution to the problem above for a \(\Gamma\)- invariant set S, where \(\Gamma\) is a suitable discrete group of isometries of \(H^ n ?\) Finally, can one describe the uniqueness, stability and topological nature of the solutions obtained, particularly when \(n=3 ?\) The author obtains a number of results, mostly when \(n=3\), some of which overlap with results of Schoen-Yau and Sacks-Uhlenbeck. Some results generalize to the case of minimal hypersurfaces in complete, simply connected Riemannian manifolds M with sectional curvature bounded above and below by negative constants. Theorem 1: Let \(S\leq H^ n(\infty)\) be a closed subset whose complement has exactly two connected components. Suppose there exists a sequence \(\{M_ j\}\) of (n-2)-dimensional smooth, closed, connected submanifolds of \(H^ n(\infty)\approx S^{n-1}\) such that \(\lim_{j\to\infty }\rho (M_ j,S)=0\), where \(\rho\) denotes (Euclidean) Hausdorff distance. Then there exists an absolutely area minimizing integral (n-1) current \(\Sigma\) asymptotic to S at infinity. (It is known that the interior singular set of such a current has codimension at least 8). Examples of the theorem: a) \(n=3\), S is any Jordan curve in \(H^ 3(\infty)\approx S^ 2\). b) n arbitrary, S is the image of an equatorial (n-2)-sphere in \(S^{n-1}\) under a homeomorphism of \(S^{n-1}\). \(\Gamma\) -invariant solutions: A discrete group \(\Gamma\) of isometries of \(H^ n\) is quasi- Fuchsian if \(\Omega (\Gamma)=H^ n(\infty)-\Lambda (\Gamma)\) has exactly two connected components, where \(\Lambda(\Gamma)\) denotes the limit set of \(\Gamma\). If \(n=3\) then a discrete, torsion free, finitely generated group \(\Gamma\) is quasi-Fuchsian if and only if \(\Gamma\) is a quasiconformal deformation of a Fuchsian group, and in this case \(\Lambda(\Gamma)\) is the image of a circle \(S^ 1\) under a quasiconformal homeomorphism of \(S^ 2.\) Theorem 2. Let \(\Gamma\) be a quasi-Fuchsian group acting on \(H^ n\). Then there exist complete \(\Gamma_ n\)-invariant absolutely area minimizing (n-1) currents \(\Sigma_{\Gamma}\) in \(H^ n\) that are asymptotic at infinity to \(\Lambda (\Gamma)\subseteq H^ n(\infty)\). If \(n=3\) and \(\Gamma\) acts freely this result guarantees the existence of a smoothly imbedded complete, stable minimal surface S in \(M^ 3=H^ 3/\Gamma\) such that \(0\to\pi_ 1(\tilde S)\to\pi_ 1(S)\to\Gamma \to 0\), where \(\tilde S\) is the \(\Gamma\)-covering of S in \(H^ 3.\) Uniqueness, stability and topology of solutions: In all of the results below we assume that \(n=3\) and that \(\Gamma\) denotes a quasi-Fuchsian group of isometries of \(H^ 3.\) 1) Let \(\gamma\) be a Jordan curve on \(H^ 3(\infty)\approx S^ 2\). Then there exists a complete imbedded minimal surface D in H of the topological type of the disk that is asymptotic to \(\gamma\). D minimizes area in the category of imbedded disks. Given a quasi-Fuchsian group \(\Gamma\) one can find a \(\Gamma\) -invariant minimal disk that is asymptotic to \(\Lambda(\Gamma)\) and minimizes area among \(\Gamma\)- invariant imbedded disks. 2) There exist Jordan curves \(\gamma\) in \(H^ 3(\infty)\) such that any absolutely area minimizing surface \(\Sigma\) asymptotic to \(\gamma\) has genus \(g\geq g_ 0\) for any prescribed \(g_ 0\geq 0.\) 3) Let \(\gamma\) be a Jordan curve in \(H^ 3(\infty)\) and let \(\Sigma_ g\) be a complete imbedded minimal surface of genus \(\leq g\) that is asymptotic to \(\gamma\) at infinity and area minimizing among imbedded surfaces of genus \(\leq g\). If \(\Sigma_ g\) is not absolutely area minimizing then there exist surfaces \(\Sigma_ g\), of higher genus that are asymptotic to \(\gamma\). 4) There exist torsion free quasi-Fuchsian groups \(\Gamma\) such that any complete, absolutely area minimizing \(\Gamma\)-invariant surface in \(H^ 3\) has infinite genus. For such a group there exist infinitely many complete, smoothly imbedded minimal surfaces asymptotic to the limit set \(\Lambda(\Gamma)\). 5) Let \(\Gamma =\pi_ 1(\Sigma_ g)\), where \(\Sigma_ g\) is a surface of genus g. Then in the homotopy class of the inclusion \(\Sigma_ g\to M^ 3=H^ 3/\Gamma\) there are at least two geometrically distinct compact stable imbedded minimal surfaces of genus g. 6) ''Most'' hyperbolic 3-manifolds admit only finitely many stable minimal surfaces of a given genus. In particular any quasi-Fuchsian 3-manifold \(M^ 3=H^ 3/\Gamma\) has only finitely many stable, locally area minimizing compact surfaces of a given genus.