On the generalized mean curvature

We study some properties of graphs whose mean curvature (in distributional sense) is a vector Radon measure. In particular, we prove that the distributional mean curvature of the graph of a Lipschitz continuous function u is a measure if and only if the distributional divergence of T u is a measure. This equivalence fails to be true if Lipschitz continuity is relaxed, as it is shown in a couple of examples. Finally, we prove a theorem of approximation in W ^(1,1) and in the sense of mean curvature of C ² graphs by polyhedral graphs. A number of examples illustrating different situations which can occur complete the work.     

Hyperbolic mean curvature flow

In this paper we introduce the hyperbolic mean curvature flow and prove that the corresponding system of partial differential equations is strictly hyperbolic, and based on this, we show that this flow admits a unique short-time smooth solution and possesses the nonlinear stability defined on the Euclidean space with dimension larger than 4. We derive nonlinear wave equations satisfied by some geometric quantities related to the hyperbolic mean curvature flow. Moreover, we also discuss the relation between the equations for hyperbolic mean curvature flow and the equations for extremal surfaces in the Minkowski space-time.     

Gaussian mean curvature flow

In the Euclidean Space \mathbb Rⁿ⁺¹{\mathbb {R}^{n+1}} with a density e^{e\frac12 n m2 |x|2}, (e = ±1){e^{\varepsilon \frac12 n \mu^2 |x|^2},} {(\varepsilon =\pm1}), we consider the flow of a hypersurface driven by its mean curvature associated to this density. We give a detailed account of the evolution of a convex hypersurface under this flow. In particular, when e = -1{ \varepsilon=-1} (Gaussian density), the hypersurface can expand to infinity or contract to a convex hypersurface (not necessarily a sphere) depending on the relation between the bound of its principal curvatures and μ.     

Singularities of mean curvature flow

Mean curvature flow and its singularities have been paid attention extensively in recent years. The present article reviews briefly their certain aspects in the author's interests.     

Non-preserved curvature conditions under constrained mean curvature flows

We provide explicit examples which show that mean convexity (i.e. positivity of the mean curvature) and positivity of the scalar curvature are non-preserved curvature conditions for hypersurfaces of the Euclidean space evolving under either the volume- or the area preserving mean curvature flow. The relevance of our examples is that they disprove some statements of the previous literature, overshadow a widespread folklore conjecture about the behaviour of these flows and bring out the discouraging news that a traditional singularity analysis is not possible for constrained versions of the mean curvature flow.     

Translating solitons of the mean curvature flow

We study some basic properties of translating solitons: the volume growth, generalized maximum principle, Gauss maps and certain functions related to the Gauss maps. Finally we carry out point-wise estimates and integral estimates for the squared norm of the second fundamental form. These estimates give rigidity theorems for translating solitons in the Euclidean space in higher codimension.     

Topological change in mean convex mean curvature flow

Consider the mean curvature flow of an (n+1)-dimensional compact, mean convex region in Euclidean space (or, if n<7, in a Riemannian manifold). We prove that elements of the mth homotopy group of the complementary region can die only if there is a shrinking S ^k ×R ^n?k singularity for some k≤m. We also prove that for each m with 1≤m≤n, there is a nonempty open set of compact, mean convex regions K in R ⁿ⁺¹ with smooth boundary ?K for which the resulting mean curvature flow has a shrinking S ^m ×R ^n?m singularity.     

Stability of mean convex cones under mean curvature flow

We consider graphical solutions to mean curvature flow and obtain a stability result for homothetically expanding solutions coming out of cones of positive mean curvature. If another solution is initially close to the cone at infinity, then the difference to the homothetically expanding solution becomes small for large times. The proof involves the construction of appropriate barriers.     

On the extension of the mean curvature flow

Consider a family of smooth immersions ${F(\cdot,t): M^n\to \mathbb{R}^{n+1}}$ of closed hypersurfaces in ${\mathbb{R}^{n+1}}$ moving by the mean curvature flow ${\frac{\partial F(p,t)}{\partial t} = -H(p,t)\cdot \nu(p,t)}$ , for ${t\in [0,T)}$ . Cooper (Mean curvature blow up in mean curvature flow, arxiv.org/abs/0902.4282) has recently proved that the mean curvature blows up at the singular time T. We show that if the second fundamental form stays bounded from below all the way to T, then the scaling invariant mean curvature integral bound is enough to extend the flow past time T, and this integral bound is optimal in some sense explained below.     

Scalar curvature,mean curvature and harmonic maps to the circle

Annals of Global Analysis and Geometry - We study harmonic maps from a 3-manifold with boundary to $$\mathbb {S}^1$$ and prove a special case of Gromov dihedral rigidity of three-dimensional cubes...     

The hyperbolic mean curvature flow

We introduce a geometric evolution equation of hyperbolic type, which governs the evolution of a hypersurface moving in the direction of its mean curvature vector. The flow stems from a geometrically natural action containing kinetic and internal energy terms. As the mean curvature of the hypersurface is the main driving factor, we refer to this model as the hyperbolic mean curvature flow (HMCF). The case that the initial velocity field is normal to the hypersurface is of particular interest: this property is preserved during the evolution and gives rise to a comparatively simpler evolution equation. We also consider the case where the manifold can be viewed as a graph over a fixed manifold. Our main results are as follows. First, we derive several balance laws satisfied by the hypersurface during the evolution. Second, we establish that the initial-value problem is locally well-posed in Sobolev spaces; this is achieved by exhibiting a convexity property satisfied by the energy density which is naturally associated with the flow. Third, we provide some criteria ensuring that the flow will blow-up in finite time. Fourth, in the case of graphs, we introduce a concept of weak solutions suitably restricted by an entropy inequality, and we prove that a classical solution is unique in the larger class of entropy solutions. In the special case of one-dimensional graphs, a global-in-time existence result is established.     

The hyperbolic mean curvature flow

We introduce a geometric evolution equation of hyperbolic type, which governs the evolution of a hypersurface moving in the direction of its mean curvature vector. The flow stems from a geometrically natural action containing kinetic and internal energy terms. As the mean curvature of the hypersurface is the main driving factor, we refer to this model as the hyperbolic mean curvature flow (HMCF). The case that the initial velocity field is normal to the hypersurface is of particular interest: this property is preserved during the evolution and gives rise to a comparatively simpler evolution equation. We also consider the case where the manifold can be viewed as a graph over a fixed manifold. Our main results are as follows. First, we derive several balance laws satisfied by the hypersurface during the evolution. Second, we establish that the initial-value problem is locally well-posed in Sobolev spaces; this is achieved by exhibiting a convexity property satisfied by the energy density which is naturally associated with the flow. Third, we provide some criteria ensuring that the flow will blow-up in finite time. Fourth, in the case of graphs, we introduce a concept of weak solutions suitably restricted by an entropy inequality, and we prove that a classical solution is unique in the larger class of entropy solutions. In the special case of one-dimensional graphs, a global-in-time existence result is established.