In this paper, we study the motion of level sets by general curvature. The difficulty of this setting is that a general curvature function is only well defined in an admissible cone. In order to extend the existence of a weak solution of a general curvature flow to outside the cone we introduce a new approximation function $\hat{f}^n$ (see (3.1)). Moreover, using the idea in [4], we give an elliptic approach for the Ben-Andrews' non-collapsing result in fully nonlinear curvature flows; we hope this approach can be generalized to a wider class of elliptic equations.
We study a geometric flow where the motion of a set is driven by the mean curvature of its boundary and the normal derivative of its capacity potential. We establish local well-posedness and propose two possible weak formulations that exist after singularities.
We consider the evolution by curvature of a general embedded network with two triple junctions. We classify the possible singularities and we discuss the long time existence of the evolution.
Second derivative pinching estimates are proved for a class of elliptic and parabolic equations, including motion of hypersurfaces by curvature functions such as quotients of elementary symmetric functions of curvature. The estimates imply convergence of convex hypersurfaces to spheres under these flows, improving earlier results of B. Chow and the author. The result is obtained via a detailed analysis of gradient terms in the equations satisfied by second derivatives.
We consider the motion by mean curvature of an $n$-dimensional graph over a time-dependent domain in $\mathbb{R}^n$, intersecting $\mathbb{R}^n$ at a constant angle. In the general case, we prove local existence for the corresponding quasilinear parabolic equation with a free boundary, and derive a continuation criterion based on the second fundamental form. If the initial graph is concave, we show this is preserved, and that the solution exists only for finite time. This corresponds to a symmetric version of triple junction motion of hypersurfaces by mean curvature, with constant angles at th…
In this note we prove uniqueness of nondegenerate compact blowups for the motion by curvature of planar networks. The proof follows ideas introduced in "Lojasiewicz-Simon inequalities for minimal networks: stability and convergence" for the study of stability properties of critical points of the length functional and it is based on the application of a Lojasiewicz-Simon gradient inequality.
We prove existence and uniqueness of the motion by curvatureof networks in $\mathbb{R}^n$ when the initial datum is of class $W^{2-\frac{2}{p}}_p$, with triple junction where the unit tangent vectors to the concurring curves form angles of $120$ degrees. Moreover we investigated the regularization effect due to the parabolic nature of the system. An application of this wellposedness result is a new proof of Theorem 3.18 in "Motion by Curvature of Planar Networks" by Mantegazza-Novaga-Tortorelli where the possible behaviors of the solutions at the maximal time of existence are described. Our st…
We prove that the curvature flow of an embedded planar network of three curves connected through a triple junction, with fixed endpoints on the boundary of a given strictly convex domain, exists smooth until the lengths of the three curves stay far from zero. If this is the case for all times, then the evolution exists for all times and the network converges to the Steiner minimal connection between the three endpoints.
We consider a system of three surfaces, graphs over a bounded domain in ${\mathbb R}^2$, intersecting along a time-dependent curve and moving by mean curvature while preserving the pairwise angles at the curve of intersection (equal to $2π/3$.) For the corresponding two-dimensional parabolic free boundary problem we prove short-time existence of classical solutions (in parabolic Hölder spaces), for sufficiently regular initial data satisfying a compatibility condition.
Modeling of a wide class of physical phenomena, such as crystal growth and flame propagation, leads to tracking fronts moving with curvature-dependent speed. When the speed is the curvature this leads to one of the classical degenerate nonlinear second order differential equations on Euclidean space. One naturally wonders "what is the regularity of solutions?" A priori solutions are only defined in a weak sense, but it turns out that they are always twice differentiable classical solutions. This result is optimal; their second derivative is continuous only in very rigid situations that have a …
We consider the generalized evolution of compact level sets by functions of their normal vectors and second fundamental forms on a Riemannian manifold M. The level sets of a function $u:M\to\mathbb{R}$ evolve in such a way whenever u solves an equation $u_{t}+F(Du, D^{2}u)=0$, for some real function F satisfying a geometric condition. We show existence and uniqueness of viscosity solutions to this equation under the assumptions that M has nonnegative curvature, F is continuous off Du=0, (degenerate) elliptic, and locally invariant by parallel translation. We then prove that this approach is ge…
In this paper we consider the equiform motion of a helix in Euclidean space $\mathbf{E}^7$. We study and analyze the corresponding kinematic three dimensional surface under the hypothesis that its scalar curvature $\mathbf{K}$ is constant. Under this assumption, we prove that if the scalar curvature $\mathbf{K}$ is constant, then $\mathbf{K}$ must equal zero.
In this paper we consider the equiform motion of a sphere in Euclidean space $\mathbf{E}^7$. We study and analyze the corresponding kinematic three dimensional surface under the hypothesis that its scalar curvature $\mathbf{K}$ is constant. Under this assumption, we prove that $|\mathbf{K}|<2$.
In this paper we investigate the flow of surfaces by a class of symmetric functions of the principal curvatures with a mixed volume constraint. We consider compact surfaces without boundary that can be written as a graph over a sphere. The linearisation of the resulting fully nonlinear PDE is used to prove a short time existence theorem for a large class of surfaces that are sufficiently close to a sphere and, using center manifold analysis, the stability of the sphere as a stationary solution to the flow is determined. We will find that for initial surfaces sufficiently close to a sphere, the…
Center manifold analysis can be used in order to investigate the stability of the stationary solutions of various PDEs. This can be done by considering the PDE as an ODE between certain Banach spaces and linearising about the stationary solution. Here we investigate the volume preserving mean curvature flow using such a technique. We will consider surfaces with boundary contained within two parallel planes such that the surface meets these planes orthogonally. With this set up the stationary solution is a cylinder. We will find that for initial surfaces that are sufficiently close to a cylinde…
In this paper we study a flow by minkowskian curvature where we have a different Minkowski plane at each time. We derive some evolution formulas, present sufficient hypotesis for the short time existence and convexity of solutions and study the motion considering a particular type of families of Minkowski norms. Also, as a corollary we establish a result about a certain family of nonlinear parabolic PDE's.
We propose a weak formulation for the binormal curvature flow of curves in $\R^3.$ This formulation is sufficiently broad to consider integral currents as initial data, and sufficiently strong for the weak-strong uniqueness property to hold, as long as self-intersections do not occur. We also prove a global existence theorem in that framework.
Suppose curves are moving by curvature in a plane, but one embeds the plane in $R^3$ and looks at the plane from an angle. Then circles shrinking to a round point would appear to be ellipses shrinking to an ``elliptical point,'' and the surface energy would appear to be anisotropic as would the mobility. The result of this paper is that if one uses the apparent surface energy and the apparent mobility, then the motion by weighted curvature with mobility in the apparent plane is the same as motion by curvature in the original plane but then viewed from the angle. This result applies not only to…
We prove the central limit theorem of random variables induced by distances to Brownian paths and Green functions on the universal cover of Riemannian manifolds of finite volume with pinched negative curvature. We further provide some ergodic properties of Brownian motions and an application of the central limit theorem to the dynamics of geodesic flows in pinched negative curvature.
In this paper, we compute the sectional curvature of the quantomorphism group $\mathcal{D}_q(M)$ whose geodesic equation is the quasi-geostrophic (QG) equation in geophysics and oceanography, for flows with a stream function depending on only one variable. Using this explicit formula, we will also derive a criterion for the curvature operator to be nonpositive and discuss the role of the Froude number and the Rossby number on curvature. The main technique to obtain a usable formula is a simplification of Arnold's general formula in the case where a vector field is close to a Killing field, and…
In this paper we study the curvature flow of a curve in a plane endowed with a minkowskian norm whose unit ball is smooth. We show that many of the properties known in the euclidean case can be extended (with due adaptations) to this new situation. In particular, we show that simple, closed, strictly convex, smooth curves remain so until the area enclosed by them vanishes. Moreover, their isoperimetric ratios converge to the minimum possible value, only attained by the minkowskian circle - so these curves converge to a minkowskian "circular point" as the enclosed area approaches zero.
For the minimal graph defined on a convex ring in the space form with nonnegative curvature, we obtain the regularity and the strict convexity about its level sets by the continuity method.
In this paper we study motion of surfaces of revolution under the mean curvature flow. For an open set of initial conditions close to cylindrical surfaces we show that the solution forms a "neck" which pinches in a finite time at a single point. We also obtain a detailed description of the neck pinching process.
In this article we use the mean curvature flow with surgery to derive regularity estimates for the level set flow going past Brakke regularity in certain special conditions allowing for 2-convex regions of high density. We also show a stability result for the plane under the level set flow.
We describe the curves of constant (geodesic) curvature and torsion in the three-dimensional round sphere. These curves are the trajectory of a point whose motion is the superposition of two circular motions in orthogonal planes. The global behavior may be periodic or the curve may be dense in a Clifford torus embedded in the three-sphere. This behavior is very different from that of helices in three-dimensional Euclidean space, which also have constant curvature and torsion.
We consider a periodic problem for the motion of a charged particle in a magnetic field. Introducing a notion of Ricci curvature for such Lagrangian systems and using the methods of the calculus of variations in the large, we prove the existence of periodic motions for such particles under a condition of positivity of the Ricci curvature.
We describe all possible self-similar motions of immersed hypersurfaces in Euclidean space under the mean curvature flow and derive the corresponding hypersurface equations. Then we present a new two-parameter family of immersed helicoidal surfaces that rotate/translate with constant velocity under the flow. We look at their limiting behaviour as the pitch of the helicoidal motion goes to 0 and compare it with the limiting behaviour of the classical helicoidal minimal surfaces. Finally, we give a classification of the immersed cylinders in the family of constant mean curvature helicoidal surfa…
In this paper, we compute sub-Riemannian limits of Gaussian curvature for a Euclidean $C^2$-smooth surface in the affine group and the group of rigid motions of the Minkowski plane away from characteristic points and signed geodesic curvature for Euclidean $C^2$-smooth curves on surfaces. We get Gauss-Bonnet theorems in the affine group and the group of rigid motions of the Minkowski plane.
The goal of this paper is twofold: we study metric measure spaces $(X,d,m)$ with variable lower bounds for the Ricci curvature and we study pathwise coupling of Brownian motions. Given any lower semicontinuous function $k:X\to \mathbb R$ we introduce the curvature-dimension condition $CD(k,\infty)$ which canonically extends the curvature-dimension condition $CD(K,\infty)$ of Lott-Sturm-Villani for constant $K\in \mathbb R$. For infinitesimally Hilbertian spaces we prove i) its equivalence to an evolution-variation inequality $EVI_k$ which in turn extends the $EVI_K$-inequality of Ambrosio-Gigl…
In this paper, we define deformed Schouten-Van Kampen connections which are metric connections and compute sub-Riemannian limits of Gaussian curvature for a Euclidean C2-smooth surface associated to deformed Schouten-Van Kampen connections with two kinds of distributions in the affine group and the group of rigid motions of the Minkowski plane away from characteristic points and signed geodesic curvature for Euclidean C2-smooth curves on surfaces. According to above results, we get Gauss-Bonnet theorems associated to two kinds of deformed Schouten-Van Kampen connections in the affine group and…
A simple formula is derived for the Ricci scalar curvature of any smooth level set ${ψ(x_0,x_1,...,x_n)=C}$ embedded in the Euclidean space $ \mathbb R^{n+1}$, in terms of the gradient $ \nablaψ$ and the Laplacian $ Δψ$. Some applications are given to the geometry of low-dimensional $p$-harmonic functions and high-dimensional harmonic functions.
After recalling the Dirichlet problem at infinity on a Cartan-Hadamard manifold, we discuss what is known and the difference between the two-dimensional and higher-dimensional cases. Turning our attention to the two-dimensional case, we prove that the Dirichlet problem at infinity on a two-dimensional Cartan-Hadamard manifold is solvable under the curvature condition $K\leq (1+ε)/(r^2 \log r)$, outside of a compact set, for some $ε>0$ in polar coordinates around some pole. This condition on the curvature is sharp, and improves upon the previously known case of quadratic curvature decay. Finall…
We consider motion by anisotropic curvature of a network of three curves immersed in the plane meeting at a triple junction and with the other ends fixed. We show existence, uniqueness and regularity of a maximal geometric solution and we prove that, if the maximal time is finite, then either the length of one of the curves goes to zero or the $L^2$ norm of the anisotropic curvature blows up.
Brownian motion on manifolds with non-trivial diffusion coefficient can be constructed by stochastic development of Euclidean Brownian motions using the fiber bundle of linear frames. We provide a comprehensive study of paths for such processes that are most probable in the sense of Onsager-Machlup, however with path probability measured on the driving Euclidean processes. We obtain both a full characterization of the resulting family of most probable paths, reduced equation systems for the path dynamics where the effect of curvature is directly identifiable, and explicit equations in special …
We construct zero-curvature representations for the equations of motion of a class of sigma-models with complex homogeneous target spaces, not necessarily symmetric. We show that in the symmetric case the proposed flat connection is gauge-equivalent to the conventional one.
We consider billiard ball motion in a convex domain of a constant curvature surface influenced by the constant magnetic field. We prove that if the billiard map is totally integrable then the boundary curve is necessarily a circle. This result is a manifestation of the so-called Hopf rigidity phenomenon which was recently obtained for classical billiards on constant curvature surfaces.
We analyze the level sets of the norm of the Witten spinor in an asymptotically flat Riemannian spin manifold of positive scalar curvature. Level sets of small area are constructed. We prove curvature estimates which quantify that, if the total mass becomes small, the manifold becomes flat with the exception of a set of small surface area. These estimates involve either a volume bound or a spectral bound for the Dirac operator on a conformal compactification, but they are independent of the isoperimetric constant.
