Proof of the Caratheodory Conjecture

MaRDI QIDQ6210508zbMATH OpenFDO

Authors Brendan Guilfoyle, Wilhelm Klingenberg

Publication date 6 August 2008

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Surfaces in Euclidean and related spaces (53A05)

Abstract: A well-known conjecture of Caratheodory states that the number of umbilic points on a closed convex surface in ${mathbbE}^3$ must be greater than one. In this paper we prove this for $C^{3+alpha}$-smooth surfaces. The Conjecture is first reformulated in terms of complex points on a Lagrangian surface in $T{S}^2$, viewed as the space of oriented geodesics in ${mathbbE}^3$. Here complex and Lagrangian refer to the canonical neutral Kaehler structure on $T{S}^2$. We then prove that the existence of a closed convex surface with only one umbilic point implies the existence of a totally real Lagrangian hemisphere in $T{S}^2$, to which it is not possible to attach the edge of a holomorphic disc. The main step in the proof is to establish the existence of a holomorphic disc with edge contained on any given totally real Lagrangian hemisphere. To construct the holomorphic disc we utilize mean curvature flow with respect to the neutral metric. Long-time existence of this flow is proven by a priori estimates and we show that the flowing disc is asymptotically holomorphic. Existence of a holomorphic disc is then deduced from Schauder estimates.

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