Mean curvature flow

We study a natural way to deform area-preserving maps between compact Riemann surfaces. Specifically, we evolve the metrics on the two Riemann surfaces by the normalized Ricci flow and the graph of the area-preserving map by the mean curvature flow. We prove that the flow exists for all time, remains the graph of an area-preserving map, and converges smoothly and exponentially to a minimal Lagrangian graph with respect to the product of the limiting metrics. This generalizes earlier results of Wang and Smoczyk, in which the Riemann surfaces have constant scalar curvature.

In this paper, we observe that the (spacelike) mean curvature flow of a submanifold in a (pseudo-)Euclidean space is equivalent to a harmonic-Ricci flow with coupling constant $\alpha =-1$ (or $+1$), for the corresponding Gauss map and the induced metric. The solitons of these two flows are also equivalent. As an application, we get a monotonicity formula for the spacelike mean curvature flow.

In this paper, we study Perelman' s $\mathcal{W}$ entropy for mean curvature flow in ${\mathbb{R}}^{n+1}$. Analogously to Perelman's $\mathcal{W}$-entropy defined for Ricci flow, K. Ecker in defined a functional $\mathcal{W}$ for the mean curvature flow in ${\mathbb{R}}^{n+1}$ and the region it encloses, and made the conjecture that this functional is monotonically increasing in time. We modify K. Ecker's definition and, using Hamilton's Harnack inequality for mean curvature flow, prove that our redefined $\mathcal{W}$-entropy is monotonically decreasing in time. Additionally, we provide a rigidity theorem for this $\mathcal{W}$-entropy.

The main objective of this article is to study the mean curvature flow into an ambient compact smooth manifold M with boundary and with a Riemannian metric that evolves by a self-similar solution of the Ricci flow coupled with the harmonic map heat flow of a map from M to a Riemannian manifold N. In this context, we address a functional associated with this flow and calculate its variation along parameters that preserve the weighted volume measure. An extension of Hamilton's differential Harnack expression appears by considering the boundary of M evolving by mean curvature flow, which must vanish on the gradient steady soliton case. Next, we obtain a Huisken monotonicity-type formula for the mean curvature flow in the proposed background. We also show how to construct a family of mean curvature solitons and establish a characterization of such a family.

A result of R. Hamilton asserts that any convex hypersurface in an Euclidian space with pinched second fundamental form must be compact. Partly inspired by this result, twenty years ago, in, Remark 3.1 on page 650, the author formulated a problem asking if a complete Riemannian manifold with positively pinched Ricci curvature must be compact. There are several recent progresses, which are all rigidity results concerning the flat metric except the special case for the steady solitons. In this note we provide a detailed alternate proof of Hamilton's result, in view of the recent proof via the mean curvature flow requiring additional assumptions and that the original argument by Hamilton does lack of complete details. The proof uses a result of the author in 1998 concerning quasi-conformal maps. The proof here allows a generalization as well. We dedicate this article to commemorate R. Hamilton, the creator of the Ricci flow, who also made fundamental contributions to many other geometric flows.

We give an application of a Huisken monotonicity-type formula for the mean curvature flow in a compact smooth manifold with a Riemannian metric that evolves by a shrinking self-similar solution of the extended Ricci flow. Our investigation builds on previous articles by Huisken and the third author, as we apply their techniques to establish new results in this geometric setting. Moreover, under some natural geometric assumptions, the noncompact case is also solved

This paper explores the behavior of the torsional rigidity of a precompact domain as the ambient manifold evolves under a geometric flow. Specifically, we derive bounds on torsional rigidity under the Ricci Flow for Heisenberg spaces and homogeneous spheres. Additionally, we establish bounds under the Inverse Mean Curvature Flow for strictly convex, free-boundary, disk-type hypersurfaces within a ball. In this latter case, by extending the analysis to the maximal existence time of the flow, we obtain inequalities of comparison with the flat disk for both volume and torsional rigidity.

In this paper, we prove that for any asymptotically conical self-shrinker, there exists an embedded closed hypersurface such that the mean curvature flow starting from it develops a singularity modeled on the given shrinker. The main technique is the Ważewski box argument, used by Stolarski in the proof of the corresponding theorem in the Ricci flow case. As a corollary, our construction, combined with the works of Angenent–Ilmanen–Velázquez and Chodosh–Daniels-Holgate–Schulze, implies the existence of fattening level set flows starting from smooth embedded closed hypersurfaces. These provide examples related to a question asked by Evans–Spruck.

In this paper, we construct solutions of Lagrangian mean curvature flow which exist and are embedded for all time, but form an infinite-time singularity and converge to an immersed special Lagrangian as $t\to \infty$. In particular, the flow decomposes the initial data into a union of special Lagrangians intersecting at one point. This result shows that infinite-time singularities can form in the Thomas–Yau `semi-stable' situation. A precise polynomial blow-up rate of the second fundamental form is also shown. The infinite-time singularity formation is obtained by a perturbation of an approximate family $N^{\epsilon (t)}$ constructed by gluing in special Lagrangian `Lawlor necks' of size $\epsilon (t)$, where the dynamics of the neck size $\epsilon (t)$ are driven by the obstruction for the existence of nearby special Lagrangians to $N^{\epsilon (t)}$. This is inspired by the work of Brendle and Kapouleas regarding ancient solutions of the Ricci flow.

In this work, we consider the area non-increasing map between manifolds with positive curvature. By exploring the strong maximum principle along the graphical mean curvature flow, we show that an area non-increasing map between certain positively curved manifolds is either homotopy trivial, Riemannian submersion, local isometry or isometric immersion. This implies that an area non-increasing self map of ${\mathbb{CP}}^n$, $n\ge 2$ is either homotopically trivial or is an isometry. This confirms a speculation of Tsai-Tsui-Wang. We also use Brendle's sphere Theorem and mean curvature flow coupled with Ricci flow to establish related results on manifolds with positive $1$-isotropic curvature.

We consider null mean curvature flow along the standard lightcone in the de Sitter spacetime. This flow was first studied by Roesch–Scheuer along null hypersurfaces for the detection of MOTS, and independently by the author in the specific case of the standard Minkowski lightcone. Similar to the Minkowski case, null mean curvature flow along the de Sitter lightcone can be related to $2d$-Ricci flow for surfaces of genus $0$ by an appropriate rescaling. Building on this rescaling procedure, we analyse singularity formation, asymptotic behavior and ancient solutions to the flow.

We introduce a classification conjecture for $\kappa$-solutions in 4d Ricci flow. Our conjectured list includes known examples from the literature, but also a new 1-parameter family of ${\mathbb{Z}}_2^2\times {\mathrm{O}}_3$-symmetric bubble-sheet ovals that we construct. We observe that some special cases of the conjecture follow from recent results in the literature. We also introduce a stronger variant of the classification conjecture for ancient asymptotically cylindrical 4d Ricci flows, which does not assume smoothness and nonnegative curvature operator a priori. Assuming this stronger variant holds true, we establish a canonical neighborhood theorem for 4d Ricci flow through cylindrical singularities, which shares some elements in common with Perelman's canonical neighborhood theorem for 3d Ricci flow as well as the mean-convex neighborhood theorem for mean curvature flow through neck-singularities. Finally, we argue that quotient-necks lead to new phenomena, and sketch an example of non-uniqueness for 4d Ricci flow through singularities.