Unstable minimal surfaces in symmetric spaces of non-compact type

Abstract: We prove that if

S i g m a

is a closed surface of genus at least 3 and

G

is a split real semisimple Lie group of rank at least

3

acting faithfully by isometries on a symmetric space

N

, then there exists a Hitchin representation

h o : p i_{1} (S i g m a) o G

and a

h o

-equivariant unstable minimal map from the universal cover of

S i g m a

to

N

. This follows from a new lower bound on the index of high energy minimal maps into an arbitrary symmetric space of non-compact type. Taking

G = m a t h r m P S L (n, m a t h b b R)

,

n g e q 4

, this disproves the Labourie conjecture.

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