We study the mean curvature flow of complete space-like submanifolds in pseudo-Euclidean space with bounded Gauss image, as well as that of complete submanifolds in Euclidean space with convex Gauss image. By using the confinable property of the Gauss image under the mean curvature flow we prove the long time existence results in both cases. We also study the asymptotic behavior of these solutions when $t\to\infty$.
We approximate boundaries of convex polytopes by smooth hypersurfaces $Y=Y_\varepsilon$ with {\it positive mean curvatures} and, by using basic geometric relations between the scalar curvatures of Riemannin manifolds and the mean curvatures of their boundaries, establish {\it lower bound on the dihedral angles} of these polytopes.
We investigate the existence, convergence and uniqueness of modified general curvature flow of convex hypersurfaces in hyperbolic space with a prescribed asymptotic boundary.
We study fully nonlinear geometric flows that deform strictly $k$-convex hypersurfaces in Euclidean space with pointwise normal speed given by a concave function of the principal curvatures. Specifically, the speeds we consider are obtained by performing a nonlinear interpolation between the mean and the $k$-harmonic mean of the principal curvatures. Our main result is a convexity estimate showing that, on compact solutions, regions of high curvature are approximately convex. In contrast to the mean curvature flow, the fully nonlinear flows considered here preserve $k$-convexity in a Riemannia…
We prove that any complete immersed globally orientable uniformly 2-convex translating soliton $Σ\subset \mathbb{R}^{n+1}$ for the mean curvature flow is locally strictly convex. It follows that a uniformly 2-convex entire graphical translating soliton in $\mathbb{R}^{n+1},\, n\geq 3 $ is the axisymmetric "bowl soliton".
We propose a new approach to the study of compact Riemannian manifolds with nonnegative Ricci curvature and strictly convex boundary or positive Ricci curvature and convex boundary. Several conjectures are formulated. Some partial results that support these conjectures are established.
On R^n endowed with a riemannian metric of bounded nonpositive curvature, the weakly convex closed subsets are topologically trivial. The stability of such subsets under intersection characterizes the euclidean spaces.
We prove the convexity estimates of Huisken-Sinestrari for finite-time singularities of mean-convex, mean curvature flow with free boundary in a barrier $S$. Here $S$ can be any properly embedded, oriented surface in $R^{n+1}$ of bounded geometry. We also give an alternative proof that convex mean curvature flows with free boundary in $S^n$ pinch to umbilic.
In this paper we find strictly locally convex hypersurfaces in $\mathbb{R}^{n+1}$ with prescribed curvature and boundary. The main result is that if the given data admits a strictly locally convex radial graph as a subsolution, we can find a radial graph realizing the prescribed curvature and boundary. As an application we show any smooth domain on the boundary of a compact strictly convex body can be deformed to a smooth hypersurface with the same boundary (inside the convex body) and realizing any prescribed curvature function smaller than the curvature of the body.
In this paper, we generalize a previous result to higher dimension. We prove that uniformly 3-convex translating solitons of mean curvature flow in $\mathbb{R}^{n+1}$ which arise as blow up limit of embedded, mean convex mean curvature flow must have $SO(n-1)$ symmetry.
Using the convex functions in Grassmannian manifolds we can carry out interior estimates for mean curvature flow of higher codimension. In this way some of the results of Ecker-Huisken can be generalized to higher codimension
The existence of a smooth complete strictly locally convex hypersurface with prescribed scalar curvature and asymptotic boundary at infinity in $\mathbb{H}^{3}$ is proved under the assumption that there exists a strictly locally convex subsolution.
We obtain estimates on both size and dimensions of the singular set at the first blow-up time of the mean curvature flow of hypersurfaces whose initial data is $σ_k$-convex.
We classify the self-similar solutions to a class of Weingarten curvature flow of connected compact convex hypersurfaces, isometrically immersed into space forms with non-positive curvature, and obtain a new characterization of a sphere in a Euclidean space $\R^{n+1}$.
We prove that any smooth Riemannian manifold of non-negative scalar curvature and with a strictly mean convex and compact boundary component can be (C^2) extended beyond the component to have non-negative scalar curvature and to enjoy anyone of the following three types of (new) boundary: strictly convex, totally geodesic or strictly concave. The extension procedure can be applied for instance to "positive mass" type of theorems.
In this paper we prove that the H^k (k is odd and larger than 2) mean curvature flow of a closed convex hypersurface can be extended over the maximal time provided that the total L^p integral of the mean curvature is finite for some p
We prove that there exists, in every dimension, a unique (modulo rotations about the origin and time translations) convex ancient mean curvature flow in the ball with free boundary on the sphere.
In [AMW], it is proved that if a compact $3$-manifold has positive Ricci curvature and strictly convex boundary, then this manifold is diffeomorphic to the standard $3$-dimensional Euclidean disk. In this paper, we prove its higher-dimensional generalization: if a compact $n$-manifold has positive curvature operator and strictly convex boundary, then this manifold is diffeomorphic to the standard $n$-dimensional Euclidean disk.
By means of dual convex bodies, we obtain regularity of solutions to the expanding Gauss curvature flows with homogeneity degrees $-p$, $0<p<1$. At the end, we remark that our method can also be used to obtain regularity of solutions to the shrinking Gauss curvature flows with homogeneity degrees less than one.
We study solutions of the mean curvature flow which are defined for all negative curvature times, usually called ancient solutions. We give various conditions ensuring that a closed convex ancient solution is a shrinking sphere. Examples of such conditions are: a uniform pinching condition on the curvatures, a suitable growth bound on the diameter or a reverse isoperimetric inequality. We also study the behaviour of uniformly k-convex solutions, and consider generalizations to ancient solutions immersed in a sphere.
We provide a direct proof of a non-collapsing estimate for compact hypersurfaces with positive mean curvature moving under the mean curvature flow: Precisely, if every point on the initial hypersurface admits an interior sphere with radius inversely proportional to the mean curvature at that point, then this remains true for all positive times in the interval of existence.
We present a novel and comprehensive approach to the study of the parametric Plateau problem for locally strictly convex (LSC) hypersurfaces of prescribed curvature for general convex curvature functions inside general Riemannian manifolds. We prove existence of solutions to the Plateau problem with outer barrier for LSC hypersurfaces of constant or prescribed curvature for general curvature functions inside general Hadamard manifolds modulo a single scalar condition. In particular, convex curvature functions of bounded type are fully treated.
We study topological obstructions to the existence of a Riemannian metric on manifolds with boundary such that the scalar curvature is non-negative and the boundary is mean convex. We construct many compact manifolds with boundary which admit no Riemannian metric with non-negative scalar curvature and mean convex boundary. For example, we show that the manifold $(T^{n-2}\times Σ)\# N$, where $Σ$ is a compact, connected and orientable surface which is not a disk or a cylinder and $N$ is a closed $n$-dimensional manifold, does not admit a metric of non-negative scalar curvature and mean convex b…
In this paper we consider three-manifolds with weakly umbilic boundary (the Second Fundamental form of the boundary is a constant multiple of the metric). We show that if the initial manifold has positive Ricci curvature and the boundary is convex (nonnegative Second Fundamental form), its metric can be deformed via the Ricci flow to a metric of constant curvature and totally geodesic boundary.
We consider the evolution by mean curvature of smooth $n$-dimensional submanifolds in $\mathbb{R}^{n+k}$ which are compact and quadratically pinched. We will be primarily interested in flows of high codimension, the case $k\geq 2$. We prove that our submanifold is asymptotically convex, that is the first eigenvalue of the second fundamental form in the principal mean curvature direction blows up at a strictly slower rate than the mean curvature vector. We use this convexity estimate to show that at a singular time of the flow, there exists a rescaling that converges to a smooth codimension-one…
We develop a local version of Huisken-Stampacchia iteration, using it to obtain local versions of a host of important sharp curvature pinching estimates for mean curvature flow. The local estimates we obtain do not depend on the quality of noncollapsing of the solution and the method adopted applies in a host of other settings.
We consider a convex Euclidean hypersurface that evolves by a volume or area preserving flow with speed given by a general nonhomogeneous function of the mean curvature. For a broad class of possible speed functions, we show that any closed convex hypersurface converges to a round sphere. The proof is based on the monotonicity of the isoperimetric ratio, which allows to control the inner and outer radius of the hypersurface and to deduce uniform bounds on the curvature by maximum principle arguments.
We show that any strictly mean convex translator of dimension $n\geq 3$ which admits a cylindrical estimate and a corresponding gradient estimate is rotationally symmetric. As a consequence, we deduce that any translating solution of the mean curvature flow which arises as a blow-up limit of a two-convex mean curvature flow of compact immersed hypersurfaces of dimension $n\geq 3$ is rotationally symmetric. The proof is rather robust, and applies to a more general class of translator equations. As a particular application, we prove an analogous result for a class of flows of embedded hypersurfa…
We provide several characterisations of collapsing and noncollapsing in convex ancient mean curvature flow, establishing in particular that collapsing occurs if and only if the flow is asymptotic to at least one Grim hyperplane. As a consequence, we rule out collapsing singularity models in $(n-1)$-convex mean curvature flow (even when the initial datum is only immersed). Explicit counterexamples show that $(n-1)$-convexity is optimal. We are also able to rule out collapsing singularity models for suitably pinched solutions of higher codimension.
A submanifold $M^m$ of a Euclidean space $R^{m+p}$ is said to have harmonic mean curvature vector field if $Δ\vec{H}=0$, where $\vec{H}$ is the mean curvature vector field of $M\hookrightarrow R^{m+p}$ and $Δ$ is the rough Laplacian on $M$. There is a conjecture named after Bangyen Chen which states that submanifolds of Euclidean spaces with harmonic mean curvature vector fields are minimal. In this paper we prove that weakly convex hypersurfaces (i.e. hypersurfaces whose principle curvatures are nonnegative) with harmonic mean curvature vector fields in Euclidean spaces are minimal. Furthermo…
Let $X_0, \widetilde{X}$ be two smooth, closed and locally convex curves in the plane with same winding number. A curvature flow with a nonlocal term is constructed to evolve $X_0$ into $\widetilde{X}$. It is proved that this flow exits globally, preserves both the local convexity and the elastic energy of the evolving curve. If the two curves have same elastic energy then the curvature flow deforms the evolving curve into the target curve $\widetilde{X}$ as time tends to infinity.
For a convex domain $D$ bounded by the hypersurface $\partial D$ in a space of constant curvature we give sharp bounds on the width $R-r$ of a spherical shell with radii $R$ and $r$ that can enclose $\partial D$, provided that normal curvatures of $\partial D$ are pinched by two positive constants. Furthermore, in the Euclidean case we also present sharp estimates for the quotient $R/r$. From the obtained estimates we derive stability results for almost umbilical hypersurfaces in the constant curvature spaces.
We use Ilmanen's elliptic regularization to prove that for an initially smooth mean convex hypersurface in Euclidean n-space moving by mean curvature flow, the surface is very nearly convex in a spacetime neighborhood of every singularity. Previously this was known only (i) for n < 7, and (ii) for arbitrary n up to the first singular time.
We construct minimal laminations with prescribed singularities on a line segment using perturbation techniques and PDE methods. In addition to the singular set, the rate of curvature blowup is also prescribable in our construction, and we show that all curvature blowup rates between quadratic and quartic arise. Our result generalizes an earlier result of the author and of Hoffman and White.
In this paper, we study fully nonlinear curvature flows of noncompact spacelike hypersurfaces in Minkowski space. We prove that if the initial hypersurface satisfies certain conditions, then the flow exists for all time. Moreover, we show that after rescaling the flow converges to the future timelike hyperboloid, which is a self-expander.
We prove that, in Minkowski space, if a spacelike, $(n-1)$-convex hypersurface $M$ with constant $σ_{n-1}$ curvature has bounded principal curvatures, then $M$ is convex. Moreover, if $M$ is not strictly convex, after an $\mathbb{R}^{n,1}$ rigid motion, $M$ splits as a product $M^{n-1}\times\mathbb{R}.$ We also construct nontrivial examples of strictly convex, spacelike hypersurface $M$ with constant $σ_{n-1}$ curvature and bounded principal curvatures.
This paper concerns the evolution of a closed convex hypersurface in ${\mathbb{R}}^{n+1}$, in direction of its inner unit normal vector, where the speed is given by a smooth function depending only on the mean curvature, and satisfies some further restrictions, without requiring homogeneity. It is shown that the flow exists on a finite maximal interval, convexity is preserved and the hypersurfaces shrink down to a single point as the final time is approached. This result covers and generalises the corresponding result of Schulze \cite{Sch05} for the positive power mean curvature flow to a much…
We prove that any complete immersed two-sided mean convex translating soliton $Σ\subset \mathbb{R}^3$ for the mean curvature flow is convex. As a corollary it follows that an entire mean convex graphical translating soliton in $\mathbb{R}^3$ is the axisymmetric "bowl soliton". We also show that if the mean curvature of $Σ$ tends to zero at infinity, then $Σ$ can be represented as an entire graph and so is the "bowl soliton". Finally we classify all locally strictly convex graphical translating solitons defined over strip regions.
We define a notion of mean curvature flow with surgery for two-dimensional surfaces in $\mathbb{R}^3$ with positive mean curvature. Our construction relies on the earlier work of Huisken and Sinestrari in the higher dimensional case. One of the main ingredients in the proof is a new estimate for the inscribed radius established by the first author.
We prove a sharp pinching estimate for immersed mean convex solutions of mean curvature flow which unifies and improves all previously known pinching estimates, including the umbilic estimate of Huisken, the convexity estimates of Huisken--Sinestrari and the cylindrical estimate of Huisken--Sinestrari. Namely, we show that the curvature of the solution pinches onto the convex cone generated by the curvatures of any shrinking cylinder solutions admitted by the initial data. For example, if the initial data is $(m+1)$-convex, then the curvature of the solution pinches onto the convex hull of the…
We study the compact noncollapsed ancient convex solutions to Mean Curvature Flow in $\mathbb{R}^{n+1}$ with $O(1)\times O(n)$ symmetry. We show they all have unique asymptotics as $t\to -\infty$ and we give precise asymptotic description of these solutions. In particular, solutions constructed by White, and Haslhofer and Hershkovits have those asymptotics (in the case of those particular solutions the asymptotics was predicted and formally computed by Angenent).
Motivated by Pan-Yang [PY] and Ma-Cheng [MC], we study a general linear nonlocal curvature flow for convex closed plane curves and discuss the short time existence and asymptotic convergence behavior of the flow. Due to the linear structure of the flow, this partial differential equation problem can be resolved using an ordinary differential equation method, together with the help of representation formula for solutions to a linear heat equation.
Local Convexity and Planarity Estimates for Mean Curvature Flow
School of Mathematics；Statistics \& Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Analysis；Applications (Ministry of Education), Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, P.R.China
Under mean curvature flow, a closed, embedded hypersurface $M(t)$ becomes singular in finite time. For certain classes of mean-convex mean curvature flows, we show the continuity of the first singular time $T$ and the limit set "$M(T)$", with respect to initial data. We employ an Angenent-like neck-pinching argument to force singularities in nearby flows. However, since we cannot prescribe initial data, we combine Andrews' $α$-non-collapsed condition and Colding and Minicozzi's uniqueness of tangent flows to place appropriately sized spheres in the region inside the hypersurface.
We show that every convex ancient solution of mean curvature flow with Type I curvature growth is either spherical, cylindrical, or planar. We then prove the corresponding statement for flows by a natural class of curvature functions which are convex or concave in the second fundamental form. Neither of these results assumes interior noncollapsing.
