The dynamics theorem for properly embedded minimal surfaces

DOI10.1007/S00208-015-1311-ZMaRDI QIDQ303592zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors William H. III Meeks, Joaquín Pérez, Antonio Ros

Publication date 22 August 2016

Published in Mathematische Annalen (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1401.1855

Minimal surfaces and optimization (49Q05) Minimal surfaces in differential geometry, surfaces with prescribed mean curvature (53A10) Differential geometry of immersions (minimal, prescribed curvature, tight, etc.) (53C42)

Abstract: In this paper we prove two theorems. The first one is a structure result that describes the extrinsic geometry of an embedded surface with constant mean curvature (possibly zero) in a homogeneously regular Riemannian three-manifold, in any small neighborhood of a point of large almost-maximal curvature. We next apply this theorem and the Quadratic Curvature Decay Theorem (previously proven by the same authors in [14]) to deduce compactness, descriptive and dynamics-type results concerning the space

D (M)

of non-flat limits under dilations of any given properly embedded minimal surface

M

in

m a t h b b R^{3}

.

Review text

Two main results are proved in this paper. In Theorem~1, the authors consider a complete constant mean curvature surface \(M\) embedded in a homogeneously regular \(3\)-dimensional manifold \(N\) (i.e., there exists \(\varepsilon>0\) such that metric balls of radius \(\varepsilon\) in \(N\) are \(C^2\) uniformly close to Euclidean balls in \({\mathbb R}^3\) of the same radius). Under the assumption that the second fundamental form \(\sigma_M\) of \(M\) is unbounded, they find a sequence of points \(p_n\in M\) with \(\lambda_n=|\sigma_M(p_n)|\) and a sequence of radii \(\varepsilon_n\to 0\) (\(\lambda_n\varepsilon_n\to\infty\)) such that a connected, properly embedded minimal surface \(M_\infty\) in \({\mathbb R}^3\) satisfying \(0\in M_\infty\), \(|\sigma_{M_\infty}|\leq 1\) and \(|\sigma_{M_\infty}(0)|=1\), is obtained as a \(C^k\) limit of the sequence formed by the connected component of \(\lambda_n(M\cap \overline{B}_N(p_n,\varepsilon_n))\) containing \(p_n\). The proof of this result is obtained by blowing up \(M\) at points of \textit{almost-maximal curvature} (defined in the proof of Theorem 1), and by choosing a sequence \(q_n\in M\) such that \(|\sigma_M(q_n)|\to\infty\) and carefully taking \(p_n\in B_M(q_n,1)\) maximizing the function \(h_n=|\sigma_M| d_N(\cdot,\partial B_M(q_n,1))\) (the ambient manifold \(N\) has been previously scaled so that its injectivity radius is larger than one). Applications of Theorem~1 to limits of sequences of minimal surfaces (Theorem~5) and to \(a\)-stable minimal surfaces (Theorem~6) are given in \S~4. As for Theorem~2, the authors consider a non-flat, properly embedded minimal surface \(M\subset {\mathbb R}^3\), and the space \(D(M)\) of \(C^2\) limits of sequences \(\{\lambda_n(M-p_n)\}_{n}\), where \(\lambda_n>0\) and the sequence \(\{p_n\}_n\) diverges. They prove in this result, called Dynamics Theorem in the manuscript, some properties on the structure of the space \(D(M)\). As indicated by the authors, Theorem~2 was generalized to constant mean curvature (not necessarily zero) surfaces in [\textit{W. H. Meeks} and \textit{G. Tinaglia}, J. Differ. Geom. 85, No. 1, 141--173 (2010; Zbl 1203.53009)].

Recommendations

Cites work

Cited in

(7)

This page was built for publication: The dynamics theorem for properly embedded minimal surfaces

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q303592)