A general regularity theory for stable codimension 1 integral varifolds

Regularity of solutions in optimal control (49N60) Minimal surfaces and optimization (49Q05) Geometric measure and integration theory, integral and normal currents in optimization (49Q15) Abstract critical point theory (Morse theory, Lyusternik-Shnirel'man theory, etc.) in infinite-dimensional spaces (58E05)

Abstract: We give a necessary and sufficient geometric structural condition for a stable codimension 1 integral varifold on a smooth Riemannian manifold to correspond to an embedded smooth hypersurface away from a small set of generally unavoidable singularities; when this condition is satisfied, the singular set is empty if the dimension of the varifold is 6 or smaller, discrete if the dimension is 7 and has Hausdorff codimension at least 7 if the dimension is 8 or larger. No initial smallness assumption on the singular set is necessary for these conclusions. The work in particular settles the long standing question, left open by the Schoen-Simon Regularity Theory, as to which weakest size hypothesis on the singular set guarantees the validity of the above conclusions. An optimal strong maximum principle for stationary codimension 1 integral varifolds follows.

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From the abstract: We give a necessary and sufficient geometric structural condition, which we call \(\alpha\)-Structural Hypothesis, for a stable codimension 1 integral varifold on a smooth Riemannian manifold to correspond to an embedded smooth hypersurface away from a small set of generally unavoidable singularities. The \(\alpha\)-Structural Hypothesis says that no point of the support of the varifold has a neighborhood in which the support is the union of three or more embedded \(C^{1,\alpha}\) hypersurfaces-with-boundary meeting (only) along their common boundary. We establish that whenever a stable integral \(n\)-varifold on a smooth \((n+1)\)-dimensional Riemannian manifold satisfies the \(\alpha\)-Structural Hypothesis for some \(\alpha \in (0,1/2)\), its singular set is empty if \(n \leq 6\), discrete if \(n=7\) and has Hausdorff dimension \( \leq n-7\) if \(n \geq 8\); in view of well-known examples, this is the best possible general dimension estimate on the singular set of a varifold satisfying our hypotheses. We also establish compactness of mass-bounded subsets of the class of stable codimension 1 integral varifolds satisfying the \(\alpha\)-Structural Hypothesis for some \(\alpha \in (0,1/2)\). The \(\alpha\)-Structural Hypothesis on an \(n\)-varifold for any \(\alpha \in (0,1/2)\) is readily implied by either the following two hypotheses: (i) the varifold corresponds to an absolutely area minimizing rectifiable current with no boundary, (ii) the singular set of the varifold has vanishing \((n-1)\)-dimensional Hausdorff measure. Thus, our theory subsumes the well-known regularity theory for codimension 1 area minimizing rectifiable currents and settles the long standing question as to which weakest size hypothesis on the singular set of a stable minimal hypersurface guarantees the validity of the above regularity conclusions. An optimal strong maximum principle for stationary codimension 1 integral varifolds follows from our regularity and compactness theorems.

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