Paper · Dec 31, 2025

Classification of ancient cylindrical mean curvature flows and the Mean Convex Neighborhood Conjecture

Richard H. Bamler, Yi Lai

math.DGWider flowsarXiv:2512.24524v2
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Abstract

We resolve the Mean Convex Neighborhood Conjecture for mean curvature flows in all dimensions and for all types of cylindrical singularities. Specifically, we show that if the tangent flow at a singular point is a multiplicity-one cylinder, then in a neighborhood of that point the flow is mean-convex, its time-slices arise as level sets of a continuous function, and all nearby tangent flows are cylindrical. Moreover, we establish a canonical neighborhood theorem near such points, which characterizes the flow via local models. We also obtain a more uniform version of the Mean Convex Neighborhood Conjecture, which only requires closeness to a cylinder at some initial time and yields a quantitative version of this structural description. Our proof relies on a complete classification of ancient, asymptotically cylindrical flows. We prove that any such flow is non-collapsed, convex, rotationally symmetric, and belongs to one of three canonical families: ancient ovals, the bowl soliton, or the flying wing translating solitons. Central to our method is a refined asymptotic analysis and a novel leading mode condition, together with a new "induction over thresholds" argument. In addition, our approach provides a full parameterization of the space of asymptotically cylindrical flows and gives a new proof of the existence of flying wing solitons. Our method is independent of prior work and, together with our prequel paper, this work is largely self-contained.

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Connected papers This paper in the centre and the 8 papers closest to it around it, in date order clockwise from the top. The closer a paper sits to the centre, the stronger the connection. This paper On the fundamental group of non-collapsed ancient Ricci flows (Richard H. Bamler, 2021)4Bamler 2021 O(2)-symmetry of 3D steady gradient Ricci solitons (Yi Lai, 2022)7Lai 2022 Rotational symmetry of ancient solutions to fully nonlinear curvature flows (A. Cogo, S. Lynch and O. Vičánek Martínez, 2023)5Cogo 2023 Classification of ancient noncollapsed flows in ℝ⁴ (Kyeongsu Choi and Robert Haslhofer, 2024)8Choi 2024 The PDE-ODI principle and cylindrical mean curvature flows (Richard H. Bamler and Yi Lai, 2025)1Bamler 2025 Classification of ancient ovals in higher dimensional mean curvature flow (Beomjun Choi, Wenkui Du and Ziyi Zhao, 2026)3Choi 2026 Ancient cylindrical flows with fast or slow convergence (Kyeongsu Choi and Robert Haslhofer, 2026)2Choi 2026 Morse resolution of mean curvature flows with cylindrical singularities (Richard H. Bamler, Felix Schulze and Lu Wang, 2026)6Bamler 2026
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  1. The PDE-ODI principle and cylindrical mean curvature flows

    Richard H. Bamler and Yi Lai PDF

    Topics Ancient solutions, Self-shrinkers & translators, Singularities · Same authors Richard H. Bamler, Yi Lai · Shared terms “cylindrical mean”, “cylindrical flows”, “largely self”

  2. Ancient cylindrical flows with fast or slow convergence

    Kyeongsu Choi and Robert HaslhoferWider flows PDF

    Topics Ancient solutions, Singularities · Shared terms “ancient cylindrical”, “neighborhood conjecture”, “convex neighborhood”

  3. Classification of ancient ovals in higher dimensional mean curvature flow

    Beomjun Choi, Wenkui Du and Ziyi ZhaoWider flows PDF

    Topics (Non)collapsing, Ancient solutions · Shared terms “neighborhood conjecture”, “convex neighborhood”, “ancient ovals”

  4. On the fundamental group of non-collapsed ancient Ricci flows

    Richard H. Bamler PDF

    Topics (Non)collapsing, Ancient solutions, Singularities · Same author Richard H. Bamler · Shared terms “collapsed”, “tangent flow”

  5. Rotational symmetry of ancient solutions to fully nonlinear curvature flows

    A. Cogo, S. Lynch and O. Vičánek MartínezWider flows PDF

    Topics Rotational symmetry & warped products, (Non)collapsing, Ancient solutions · Shared terms “complete classification”, “translating solitons”, “rotationally symmetric”

  6. Morse resolution of mean curvature flows with cylindrical singularities

    Richard H. Bamler, Felix Schulze and Lu WangWider flows PDF

    Topics Singularities · Same author Richard H. Bamler · Shared terms “cylindrical singularities”, “mean convex”, “neighborhood”

  7. O(2)-symmetry of 3D steady gradient Ricci solitons

    Yi Lai PDF

    Topics Ancient solutions · Same author Yi Lai · Shared terms “flying wing”

  8. Classification of ancient noncollapsed flows in

    Kyeongsu Choi and Robert HaslhoferWider flows PDF

    Topics Rotational symmetry & warped products, (Non)collapsing, Ancient solutions · Shared terms “rotationally symmetric”, “Specifically”, “independent”

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Background reading

The guides for the topics of this paper: what each idea is, why it matters, and the papers to read first.

In the guidebook

  1. 12B.4
    Compactness and Universal Estimates for κ-SolutionsBook 12B · κ-Solutions and Surgery

    Asymptotic volume zero, curvature controlled by volume, Perelman's Theorem 11.7, a universal κ, neck-like behaviour at infinity, and the constants that canonical neighbourhoods inherit.

  2. 12B.3
    The Structure of κ-SolutionsBook 12B · κ-Solutions and Surgery

    Necks and caps, compactness, and universal estimates.

  3. 9B.3
    Collapsing and NoncollapsingBook 9B · Comparison, Convergence and Heat on Manifolds

    Injectivity radius bounds from volume, collapsing examples, and the definition Perelman needs.