Mathematical Sciences: The Geometry of Surfaces in Three Dimensional Manifolds

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9704286 Hass This project deals with the geometry of surfaces in three dimensional Riemannian manifolds. The focus is on isoperimetric problems and the theory of piecewise-linear minimal surfaces. A basic isoperimetric problem asks for the smallest area surface enclosing a given pair of volumes. The Double Bubble Conjecture asserts that the shape assumed by a compound soap bubble enclosing two regions answers this question. This conjecture was recently solved by the investigator, in collaboration with R. Schlafly, for two equal volumes, but the general case remains an open problem. The piecewise-linear theory of surfaces considers surfaces which are glued together from flat pieces, much like the surfaces constructed in computer graphics. The problems considered in this project relate to processes in nature which determine the shape of soap bubbles, the erosion of boulders, the melting of ice, crystal growth, flame propagation, image enhancement and the evaporation of puddles. The piecewise-linear theory of surfaces can be applied to the classification, enumeration and algorithmic recognition of various surfaces .