The regularity of conformal target harmonic maps

DOI10.1007/S00526-017-1215-8MaRDI QIDQ2406081zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Publication date 26 September 2017

Published in Calculus of Variations and Partial Differential Equations (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1610.09867

harmonic map immersion minimal surface regularity of harmonic map stationary integer rectifiable varifold

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) Harmonic maps, etc. (58E20)

Abstract: In a recent paper the author introduced a new method based on viscosity techniques for producing minimal surfaces by minmax arguments. The present work corresponds to the regularity part of the method. Precisely we establish that any weakly conformal

W^{1, 2}

map from a riemann surface

S

into a closed oriented sub-manifold

N^{n}

of an euclidian space

{m a t h b b R}^{m}

realizes a stationary varifold if and only if it is a smooth conformal harmonic map form

S

into

N^{n}

.

Review text

Let \(\Sigma\) be a smooth closed surface, and let \(N^n\) be a closed oriented submanifold of an Euclidean space \({\mathbb R}^m\). For an immersion \(\vec{\Phi} : \Sigma \to N\) and a small parameter \(\sigma\), consider \[ A^\sigma(\vec{\Phi}) = \text{Area}(\vec{\Phi}) + \sigma^2 \int_\Sigma \left[1+ |\text{II}_{\vec{\Phi}}|^2\right]^p\, dv_{g_{\vec{\Phi}}}, \] where \(\text{II}_{\vec{\Phi}}\) is the second fundamental form of the immersion \(\vec{\Phi}\) and \(dv_{g_{\vec{\Phi}}}\) is the volume form associated to the induced metric. For \(p>1\) and \(\sigma>0\), by applying the Palais-Smale deformation theory, one can produce critical points \(\vec{\Phi}_\sigma\) to \(A^\sigma\). It is proved in [\textit{A. Michelat} and \textit{T. Rivière}, ESAIM, Control Optim. Calc. Var. 22, No. 4, 1282--1324 (2016; Zbl 1353.49006)] that, for a sequence of parameters \(\sigma_k \to 0\), the sequence of integer rectifiable varifold associated to the immersion of \(\Sigma\) by \(\vec{\Phi}_{\sigma_k}\) does not necessarily converge to a stationary integer rectifiable varifold. However, assuming an additional entropy estimate, the author proved in [Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 126, 177--246 (2017; Zbl 1387.53084)] that the immersion of \(\Sigma\) by \({\vec{\Phi}_{\sigma_k}}\) converges to a stationary integer rectifiable varifold given by the image of a smooth Riemann surface \(S\) by a weakly conformal \(W^{1,2}\) map \(\vec{\Phi}\) into \(N\) equipped by an integer multiplicity. In this paper, the author proves that if this multiplicity is constant, such a map is smooth and satisfies the harmonic map equation. In other words, any weakly conformal \(W^{1,2}\) map from a Riemann surface \(S\) into a closed oriented submanifold \(N\) of an Euclidean space \({\mathbb R}^m\) realizes, for almost every domain, a stationary varifold if and only if it is a smooth conformal harmonic map from \(S\) into \(N\).

Recommendations

Cites work

Cited in

(10)

This page was built for publication: The regularity of conformal target harmonic maps

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q2406081)