Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: We construct a $4$-parameter family of properly embedded genus-zero surfaces with at most two boundary components in a Riemannian $3$-ball. The construction is a free boundary analog of the canonical $5$-parameter family of surfaces on the $3$-sphere by Marques-Neves in the proof of Willmore conjecture. In the Euclidean unit ball, this family realizes the critical catenoid as a Simon-Smith min-max limit. As applications, we give an upper bound of Almgren-Pitts $4$-width $ω_4(\mathbb{B}^3)$ by the area of the critical catenoid. Moreover, we prove the existence of at least three free boundary minimal annuli in any compact $3$-manifold with nonnegative Ricci curvature and strictly convex boundary.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Ko, Dongyeong, Shao, Guanhua
Language: English
Subfield: Applied Mathematics
Field: Mathematics
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7203674255