Let $D$ be a closed disk centered at the origin in the horizontal hyperplane $\{t=0\}$ of the sub-Riemannian Heisenberg group $\hh^n$, and $C$ the vertical cylinder over $D$. We prove that any finite perimeter set $E$ such that $D\subset E\subset C$ has perimeter larger than or equal to the one of the rotationally symmetric sphere with constant mean curvature of the same volume, and that equality holds only for the spheres using a recent result by Monti and Vittone [12].
In the context of sub-Riemannian Heisenberg groups Hn, n \geq 1, we shall study Isoperimetric Profiles, which are closed compact hypersurfaces having constant horizontal mean curvature, very similar to ellipsoids. Our main goal is to study the stability of Isoperimetric Profiles.
After introducing the sub-Riemannian geometry of the Heisenberg group Hn, n \geq 1, we recall some basics about hypersurfaces endowed with the H-perimeter measure and horizontal Green's formulas. Then, we describe a class of compact closed hypersurfaces of constant horizontal mean curvature called "Isoperimetric Profiles"(they are not CC-balls!); see Section 2.1. Our main purpose is to study a closed eigenvalue problem on Isoperimetric Profiles, i.e. LHS ϕ+ λϕ= 0, where LHS is a 2nd order horizontal tangential operator analogous to the Laplace-Beltrami operator; see Section 1.5. This is done s…
In this paper we prove that isoperimetric sets in three-dimensional homogeneous spaces diffeomorphic to $\mathbb{R}^3$ are topological balls. We also prove that in three-dimensional homogeneous spheres isopermetric sets are either two-spheres or symmetric genus-one tori. We then apply our first result to the three-dimensional Heisenberg group $\mathsf{H}^1$, characterizing the isoperimetric sets and constants for a family of Riemannian adapted metrics. Using $Γ$-convergence of the perimeter functionals, we also settle an isoperimetric conjecture in $\mathsf{H}^1$ posed by P.Pansu.
We characterize convex isoperimetric sets in the Heisenberg group endowed with horizontal perimeter. We first prove Sobolev regularity for a certain class of vector fields in the plane with bounded variation, related to the curvature equations. Then, by an approximation-reparameterization argument, we show that the boundary of convex isoperimetric sets is foliated by geodesics of the Carnot-Caratheodory distance.
We equip many non compact non simply connected surfaces with smooth Riemannian metrics whose isoperimetric profile is smooth, a highly non generic property. The computation of the profile is based on a calibration argument, a rearrangement argument, the Bol-Fiala curvature dependent inequality, together with new results on the profile of surfaces of revolution and some hardware know-how.
We study a family of spheres with constant mean curvature (CMC) in the Riemannian Heisenberg group $H^1$. These spheres are conjectured to be the isoperimetric sets of $H^1$. We prove several results supporting this conjecture. We also focus our attention on the sub-Riemannian limit.
The subject of these Notes is the new proof, proposed in [F. H{é}lein, In{é}galit{é} isop{é}rim{é}trique et calibrations, Annales de l'Institut Fourier 44, 4 (1994), 1211-1218] of the classical isoperimetric inequality in the plane. This proof is far from being the first one, but its interest is that it uses essentially integration by parts and Stoke's formula in a simple manner, like in a calibration. Here we expound again this proof and discuss in which sense our proof works like a calibration, or it can be understood in the framework of the theory of null Lagrangians, which goes back to Wei…
This work is an investigation of perimeter measures in the metric measure space given by the Heisenberg group with Haar measure and a Carnot-Carathéodory metric, which is in general a sub-Finsler metric. Included is a reduction of Minkowski content in any CC-metric to an integral formula in terms of Lebesgue surface area in $\mathbb{R}^3$. Using this result, I study two perimeter measures that arise from the study of Finsler normed planes, and provide evidence that Pansu's conjecture regarding the isoperimetric problem in the sub-Riemannian case appears to hold in the more general sub-Finsler …
In this paper, we study contact forms on the three- dimensional Heisenberg manifold with its standard CR structure. We discover that the $Q'$-curvature, introduced by Branson, Fontana and Morpurgo [BFM13] on the CR three-sphere and then generalized to any pseudo-Einstein CR three manifold by Case and Yang [CY95], controls the isoperimetric inequality on such a CR-manifold. To show this, we first prove that the nonnegative Webster curvature at infinity deduces that the metric is normal, which is analogous to the behavior on a Riemannian four-manifold.
We study the isoperimetric problem for anisotropic left-invariant perimeter measures on $\mathbb R^3$, endowed with the Heisenberg group structure. The perimeter is associated with a left-invariant norm $ϕ$ on the horizontal distribution. We first prove a representation formula for the $ϕ$-perimeter of regular sets and, assuming some regularity on $ϕ$ and on its dual norm $ϕ^*$, we deduce a foliation property by sub-Finsler geodesics of $\mathrm C^2$-smooth surfaces with constant $ϕ$-curvature. We then prove that the characteristic set of $\mathrm C^2$-smooth surfaces that are locally extremal…
In this paper we study sets in the $n$-dimensional Heisenberg group $\hhn$ which are critical points, under a volume constraint, of the sub-Riemannian perimeter associated to the distribution of horizontal vector fields in $\hhn$. We define a notion of mean curvature for hypersurfaces and we show that the boundary of a stationary set is a constant mean curvature (CMC) hypersurface. Our definition coincides with previous ones. Our main result describes which are the CMC hypersurfaces of revolution in $\hhn$. The fact that such a hypersurface is invariant under a compact group of rotations allow…
We study the generalization of the Willmore functional for surfaces in the three-Heisenberg group. Its construction is based on the spectral theory of the Dirac operator coming to the Weierstrass representation of surfaces (see math.DG/0503707). By using surfaces of revolution we demonstrate that it resembles the Willmore functional for surfaces in the Euclidean space in many geometrical respects. We also observe the relation of these functionals to the isoperimetric problem.
We use variational arguments to introduce a notion of mean curvature for surfaces in the Heisenberg group H^1 endowed with its Carnot-Carathéodory distance. By analyzing the first variation of area, we characterize C^2 stationary surfaces for the area as those with mean curvature zero (or constant if a volume-preserving condition is assumed) and such that the characteristic curves meet orthogonally the singular curves. Moreover, a Minkowski type formula relating the area, the mean curvature, and the volume is obtained for volume-preserving area-stationary surfaces enclosing a given region. As …
Minimal surfaces in $\mathbb{R}^n$ can be locally approximated by graphs of harmonic functions, i.e., functions that are critical points of the Dirichlet energy, but no analogous theorem is known for $H$-minimal surfaces in the three-dimensional Heisenberg group $\mathbb{H}$, which are known to have singularities. In this paper, we introduce a definition of intrinsic Dirichlet energy for surfaces in $\mathbb{H}$ and study the critical points of this energy, which we call contact harmonic graphs. Nearly flat regions of $H$-minimal surfaces can often be approximated by such graphs. We give a cal…
Here we show existence of numerous subsets of Euclidean and metric spaces that, despite having empty interior, still support Poincaré inequalities. Most importantly, our methods do not depend on any rectilinear or self-similar structure of the underlying space. We instead employ the notion of uniform domain of Martio and Sarvas. Our condition relies on the measure density of such subsets, as well as the regularity and relative separation of their boundary components. In doing so, our results hold true for metric spaces equipped with doubling measures and Poincaré inequalities in general, and f…
