On the topology of translating solitons of the mean curvature flow (Q889732)

In this paper, classification results and topological obstructions for the existence of translating solitons of the mean curvature flow are obtained. More precisely, an oriented smooth hypersurface \(f:M^m\rightarrow \mathbb R^{m+1}\) is called a translating soliton of the mean curvature flow if its mean curvature vector field \(\mathbf{H}\) satisfies \(\mathbf{H} =v^\perp\), where \(v\in\mathbb R^{m+1}\) is a fixed unit length vector and \(v^\perp\) stands for the orthogonal projection of \(v\) onto the normal bundle of the immersion \(f\). Grim hyperplanes, which are special translating solitons, are defined in the paper. Notice that the translating solitons form interesting examples of precise solutions of the mean curvature flow. By \(H\) and \(A\) are denoted respectively the scalar mean curvature of \(f\) and the scalar second fundamental form of \(f.\) The main results of the paper are Theorems A and B. Theorem A states the following. Let \(f:M^m\rightarrow\mathbb R^{m+1}\) be a complete embedded translating soliton of the mean curvature flow with a single end that is smoothly vertically asymptotic to a translating paraboloid. Then the hypersurface \(M=f(M^m)\) is a translating paraboloid. Theorem B states that, if \(f:M^m\rightarrow\mathbb R^{m+1}\) is a translating soliton which is not a minimal hypersurface, then \(f(M^m)\) is a grim hyperplane if and only if the function \(| A|^2 H^{-2}\) attains a local maximum on the open set \(M^m\backslash\{H=0\}\). Finally, in a third theorem the authors investigate how the image of the Gauss map affects the genus of a complete translating soliton in \(\mathbb R^3\).