Mean convex hulls and least area disks spanning extreme curves

We show that for any extreme curve in a 3-manifold M, there exist a canonical mean convex hull containing all least area disks spanning the curve. Similar result is true for asymptotic case in such that for any asymptotic curve , there is a canonical mean convex hull containing all minimal planes spanning Γ. Applying this to quasi-Fuchsian manifolds, we show that for any quasi-Fuchsian manifold, there exist a canonical mean convex core capturing all essential minimal surfaces. On the other hand, we also show that for a generic C³-smooth curve in the boundary of C³-smooth mean convex domain in ℝ³, there exist a unique least area disk spanning the curve.