We study the formation of generic singularities of mean curvature flow by combining the different approaches, specifically the methods in studying blowup of nonlinear heat equations, the techniques used by the author and the collaborators for mean curvature flow, and these invented by Colding and Minicozzi. We study the solution in a neighborhood of the blowup point, in some generic regimes, we find the key parameters take favorable signs and have sharp decay rates. We provide the remainder estimates in different norms.
We give a classification of non-removable isolated singularities for real analytic solutions of the prescribed mean curvature equation in Minkowski $3$-space.
We prove that finite area isolated singularities of surfaces with constant positive curvature in R^3 are removable singularities, branch points or immersed conical singularities. We describe the space of immersed conical singularities of such surfaces in terms of the class of real analytic closed locally convex curves in the 2-sphere with admissible cusp singularities, characterizing when the singularity is actually embedded. In the global setting, we describe the space of peaked spheres in R^3, i.e. compact convex surfaces of constant positive curvature with a finite number of singularities, …
We study graphical mean curvature flow of complete solutions defined on subsets of Euclidean space. We obtain smooth long time existence. The projections of the evolving graphs also solve mean curvature flow. Hence this approach allows to smoothly flow through singularities by studying graphical mean curvature flow with one additional dimension.
In [Vel94], Velazquez constructed a countable collection of mean curvature flow solutions in $\mathbb{R}^N$ in every dimension $N \ge 8$. Each of these solutions becomes singular in finite time at which time the second fundamental form blows up. In contrast, we confirm here that, in every dimension $N \ge 8$, a nontrivial subset of these solutions has uniformly bounded mean curvature.
In [5], Sáez and Schnürer studied the graphical mean curvature flow of complete hypersurfaces defined on subsets of Euclidean space. They obtained long time existence. Moreover, they provided a new interpretation of weak mean curvature flow. In this paper, we generalize their results to a general curvature setting. Our key ingredient is the existence result of general curvature flow with boundary conditions, which is proved in Section 4.
In this paper, we prove the uniqueness of asymptotically conical tangent flows in all codimensions. This is based on an early work of Chodosh-Schulze, who proved the uniqueness in the hypersurface case.
We study conformal metrics with prescribed Gaussian curvature on surfaces with conical singularities and geodesic boundary in supercritical regimes. Exploiting a variational argument, we derive a general existence result for surfaces with at least two boundary components. This seems to be the first result in this setting. Moreover, we allow to have conical singularities with both positive and negative orders, that is cone angles both less and grater than $2π$.
We construct smooth mean curvature flows with surgery that approximate weak mean curvature flows with only spherical and neck-pinch singularities. This is achieved by combining the recent work of Choi-Haslhofer-Hershkovits, and Choi-Haslhofer-Hershkovits-White, establishing canonical neighbourhoods of such singularities, with suitable barriers to flows with surgery. A limiting argument is then used to control these approximating flows. We conclude by improving the entropy bound on the low-entropy Schoenflies conjecture.
We prove a removal of singularities result for Bach-flat metrics in dimension 4 under the assumption of bounded L^2 norm of curvature, bounded Sobolev constant and a volume growth bound. This result extends the removal of singularities result for special classes of Bach-flat metrics obtained in \cite{TVMOD}. For the proof we analyze the decay rates of solutions to the Bach-flat equation linearized around a flat metric. This classification is used to prove that Bach-flat cones are in fact ALE of order $τ$ for any $τ< 2$. This result is then used to prove the removal of singularities theorem.
We investigate the formation of singularities for surfaces evolving by volume preserving mean curvature flow. For axially symmetric flows - surfaces of revolution - in $\mathbb{R}^3$ with Neumann boundary conditions, we prove that the first developing singularity is of Type I. The result is obtained without any additional curvature assumptions being imposed, while axial symmetry and boundary conditions are justifiable given the volume constraint. Additional results and ingredients towards the main proof include a non-cylindrical parabolic maximum principle, and a series of estimates on geometr…
We consider one of the generic regimes of formation of singularities. We obtain a detailed description of a possibly small, but fixed, neighborhood of the blowup point, up to (and including) the blowup time, and find that it is mean convex. This confirms a conjecture by Ilmanen. And we find that the singularity is isolated from the other ones.
In this paper we derive a refined asymptotic expansion, near an isolated singularity, for conformally flat metrics with constant positive Q-curvature and positive scalar curvature. The condition that the metric has constant Q-curvature forces the conformal factor to satisfy a fourth order nonlinear partial differential equation with critical Sobolev growth, whose leading term is the bilaplacian. We model our results on a similar asymptotic expansion for conformally flat, constant scalar curvature metrics proven by Korevaar, Mazzeo, Pacard, and Schoen. Along the way we analyze the linearization…
In this article, by following the method in \cite{PT}, combining Willmore energy with isoperimetric inequalities, we construct two examples of singularities under mean curvature flow in $\mathbb{H}^3$. More precisely, there exists a torus, which must develop a singularity under MCF before the volume it encloses decreases to zero. There also exists a topological sphere in the shape of a dumbbell, which must develop a singularity in the flow before its area shrinks to zero. Simultaneously, by using the flow, we proved an isoperimetric inequality for some domains in $\mathbb{H}^3$.
In this paper we study the short time existence problem for the (generalized) Lagrangian mean curvature flow in (almost) Calabi--Yau manifolds when the initial Lagrangian submanifold has isolated conical singularities modelled on stable special Lagrangian cones. Given a Lagrangian submanifold $F_0:L\rightarrow M$ in an almost Calabi--Yau manifold $M$ with isolated conical singularities at $x_1,...,x_n\in M$ modelled on stable special Lagrangian cones $C_1,...,C_n$ in $\mathbb{C}^m$, we show that for a short time there exist one-parameter families of points $x_1(t),... x_n(t)\in M$ and a one pa…
We define a generalization of convex functions, which we call $δ$-convex functions, and show they must satisfy interior Hölder and $W^{1,p}$ estimates. As an application, we consider solutions of a certain class of fully nonlinear equations in conformal geometry with isolated singularities, in the case of non-negative Ricci curvature. We prove that such solutions either extend to a Hölder continuous function across the singularity, or else have the same singular behavior as the fundamental solution of the conformal Laplacian. We also obtain various removable singularity theorems for these equa…
We study almost-calibrated, $O(n)$-equivariant Lagrangian mean curvature flow in $\mathbb{C}^n$, and prove structural theorems about the Type I and Type II blowups of finite-time singularities. In particular, we prove that any Type I blowup of such a flow must be a special Lagrangian pair of transversely intersecting planes, any Type II blowup must be the Lawlor neck with the same asymptotes, and these blowups are independent of the choice of rescaling. We also give a partial classification of when singularities occur in the equivariant case, and examine the intermediate scales between the Typ…
In this paper we prove that the set of metrics conformal to the standard metric on $\mathbb{S}^{n}\backslash\{p_{1},\cdots,p_{l}\}$ is locally compact in $C^{m,α}$ topology for any $m>0$, whenever the metrics have constant $σ_{k}$ curvature and the $k$-Dilational Pohozaev invariants have positive lower bound for $k<n/2$. Here the $k$-Dilational Pohozaev invariants come from the Kazdan-Warner type identity for the $σ_{k}$ curvature, which is derived by Viaclovsky \cite{Viac2000} and Han \cite{H1}. When $k=1$, Pollack \cite{Pollack} proved the compactness results for the complete metrics of cons…
Once one knows that singularities occur, one naturally wonders what the singularities are like. For minimal varieties the first answer, already known to Federer-Fleming in 1959, is that they weakly resemble cones. For mean curvature flow, by the combined work of Huisken, Ilmanen, and White, singularities weakly resemble shrinkers. Unfortunately, the simple proofs leave open the possibility that a minimal variety or a mean curvature flow looked at under a microscope will resemble one blowup, but under higher magnification, it might (as far as anyone knows) resemble a completely different blowup…
Given any embedded Lagrangian on a four dimensional compact Calabi-Yau, we find another Lagrangian in the same Hamiltonian isotopy class which develops a finite time singularity under mean curvature flow. This contradicts a weaker version of the Thomas-Yau conjecture regarding long time existence and convergence of Lagrangian mean curvature flow.
We exhibit a concentration-collapse decomposition of singularities of fourth order curvature flows, including the $L^2$ curvature flow and Calabi flow, in dimensions $n \leq 4$. The proof requires the development of several new a priori estimates. First, we develop a smoothing result for initial metrics with small energy and a volume growth lower bound, in the vein of Perelman's pseudolocality result. Next, we generalize our technique from prior work to exhibit local smoothing estimates for the $L^2$ flow in the presence of a curvature-related bound. A final key ingredient is a new local $ε$-r…
The precise asymptotic behaviour of the solutions to the twodimensional curvature equation $Δu=k(z) e^{2 u}$ with $e^{2 u} \in L^1$ for bounded nonnegative curvature functions $-k(z)$ near isolated singularities is obtained.
In this paper we study a neighborhood of generic singularities formed by mean curvature flow (MCF). We limit our consideration to the singularities modelled on $\mathbb{S}^3\times\mathbb{R}$ because, compared to the cases $\mathbb{S}^k\times \mathbb{R}^{l}$ with $l\geq 2$, the present case has the fewest possibilities to be considered. For various possibilities, we provide a detailed description for a small, but fixed, neighborhood of singularity, and prove that a small neighborhood of the singularity is mean convex, and the singularity is isolated. For the remaining possibilities, we conjectu…
We study the rescaled mean curvature flow (MCF) of hypersurfaces that are global graphs over a fixed cylinder of arbitrary dimensions. We construct an explicit stable manifold for the rescaled MCF of finite codimensions in a suitable configuration space. For any initial hypersurface from this stable manifold, we construct a unique global solution to the rescaled MCF, and derive precise asymptotics for these solutions that are valid for all time. Using these asymptotics, we prove asymptotic stability of cylindrical singularities of arbitrary dimensions under generic initial perturbations. As a …
In this work we consider periodic spherically symmetric metrics of constant positive scalar curvature on the n-dimensional cylinder called pseudo-cylindric metrics. These metrics belong to the conformal class $[g_0]$ of the Riemannian product $S^1\times S^{n-1}$ : a circle of length $T$ crossed with the (n-1)-dimensional standard sphere. Such metrics have a harmonic Riemannian curvature and a non parallel Ricci tensor, except for the cylindric one. Thus, it appears a natural link between them and the Derdzinski metrics which are warped product and classify a family of Riemannian manifolds. The…
It has long been conjectured that starting at a generic smooth closed embedded surface in R^3, the mean curvature flow remains smooth until it arrives at a singularity in a neighborhood of which the flow looks like concentric spheres or cylinders. That is, the only singularities of a generic flow are spherical or cylindrical. We will address this conjecture here and in a sequel. The higher dimensional case will be addressed elsewhere. The key in showing this conjecture is to show that shrinking spheres, cylinders and planes are the only stable self-shrinkers under the mean curvature flow. We p…
Shrinkers are special solutions of mean curvature flow (MCF) that evolve by rescaling and model the singularities. While there are infinitely many in each dimension, [CM1] showed that the only generic are round cylinders $\SS^k\times \RR^{n-k}$. We prove here that round cylinders are rigid in a very strong sense. Namely, any other shrinker that is sufficiently close to one of them on a large, but compact, set must itself be a round cylinder. To our knowledge, this is the first general rigidity theorem for singularities of a nonlinear geometric flow. We expect that the techniques and ideas deve…
We construct a sequence of compact embedded minimal disks in the unit ball in Euclidean 3-space whose boundaries are in the boundary of the ball and where the curvatures blow up at every point of a line segment of the vertical axis, extending from the origin. We further study the transversal structure of the minimal limit lamination and find removable singularities along the line segment and a non-removable singularity at the origin. This extends a result of Colding and Minicozzi where they constructed a sequence with curvatures blowing up only at the center of the ball, Dean's construction of…
Let $f: X\to {\Bbb C}P^1$ be a meromorphic function of degree $N$ with simple poles and simple critical points on a compact Riemann surface $X$ of genus $g$ and let $\mathsf m$ be the standard round metric of curvature $1$ on the Riemann sphere ${\Bbb C}P^1$. Then the pullback $f^*\mathsf m$ of $\mathsf m$ under $f$ is a metric of curvature $1$ with conical singularities of conical angles $4π$ at the critical points of $f$. We study the $ζ$-regularized determinant of the Laplace operator on $X$ corresponding to the metric $f^*\mathsf m$ as a functional on the moduli space of the pairs $(X, f)$…
Starting from the Hawking--Page solutions, we consider the corresponding Lorentzian cone metrics. These represent cone interior scale-invariant vacuum solutions, defined in the chronological past of the scaling origin. We extend the Lorentzian Hawking--Page solutions to the cone exterior region in the class of $(4+1)$-dimensional scale-invariant vacuum solutions with an $SO(3)\times U(1)$ isometry, using the Kaluza--Klein reduction and the methods of Christodoulou. We prove that each Lorentzian Hawking--Page solution has extensions with a null curvature singularity, extensions with a spacelike…
A mean curvature flow starting from a closed embedded hypersurface in $R^{n+1}$ must develop singularities. We show that if the flow has only generic singularities, then the space-time singular set is contained in finitely many compact embedded $(n-1)$-dimensional Lipschitz submanifolds plus a set of dimension at most $n-2$. If the initial hypersurface is mean convex, then all singularities are generic and the results apply. In $R^3$ and $R^4$, we show that for almost all times the evolving hypersurface is completely smooth and any connected component of the singular set is entirely contained …
We discuss conformal metrics of curvature 1 on tori and on the sphere, with four conic singularities whose angles are multiples of pi/2. Besides some general results we study in detail the family of such symmetric metrics on the sphere, with angles (pi/2,3pi/2,pi/2,3pi/2).
We construct semi-global $(1+3)$-dimensional Lorentzian spacetimes satisfying the Einstein vacuum equations that contain curvature singularities that are propagated all the way up to future null infinity. Special cases of our constructions are semi-global spacetimes containing the interaction of two impulsive gravitational waves. The spacetimes that we construct can be considered as the semi-global analogues of the local spacetimes containing weak null singularities constructed by Luk, and of the local spacetimes containing the interaction of impulsive gravitational waves constructed by Luk an…
A problem of an interface crack between two semi-planes made out of different materials under an action of an in-plane loading of general tensile-shear type is treated in a semi-analytical manner with the help of Dirichlet-to-Neumann mappings. The boundaries of the crack and the interface between semi-planes are subjected to a curvature-dependent surface tension. The resulting system of six singular integro-differential equations is reduced to the system of three Fredholm equations. It is shown that the introduction of the curvature-dependent surface tension eliminates both classical integrabl…
In previous work [GIKW21], we have presented evidence from numerical simulations that the Type-II singularities of mean curvature flow (MCF) of rotationally-symmetric, complete, noncompact embedded hypersurfaces constructed in [IW19, IWZ21] are stable. More precisely, it is shown in that paper that for small rotationally-symmetric perturbations of initial embeddings near the "tip", numerical simulations of MCF of such initial embeddings develop the same Type-II singularities with the same "bowl soliton" blowup behaviors in a neighborhood of the singularity. It is also shown in that work that f…
