Overview

Many properties of minimal surfaces are of a global nature, and this is already true for the results treated in the first two volumes of the treatise. Part I of the present book can be viewed as an extension of these results. For instance, the first two chapters deal with existence, regularity and uniqueness theorems for minimal surfaces with partially free boundaries. Here one of the main features is the possibility of ""edge-crawling"" along free parts of the boundary. The third chapter deals with a priori estimates for minimal surfaces in higher dimensions and for minimizers of singular integrals related to the area functional. In particular, far reaching Bernstein theorems are derived. The second part of the book contains what one might justly call a ""global theory of minimal surfaces"" as envisioned by Smale. First, the Douglas problem is treated anew by using Teichmüller theory. Secondly, various index theorems for minimal theorems are derived, and their consequences for the space of solutions to Plateau´s problem are discussed. Finally, a topological approach to minimal surfaces via Fredholm vector fields in the spirit of Smale is presented.

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9783642265334

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From the reviews of the second edition: The most complete and thorough record of the ongoing efforts to justify Lagrange's optimism. ... contain a wealth of new material in the form of newly written chapters and sections ... . a compilation of results and proofs from a vast subject. Here were true scholars in the best sense of the word at work, creating their literary lifetime achievements. They wrote with love for detail, clarity and history, which makes them a pleasure to read. ... will become instantaneous classics. (Matthias Weber, The Mathematical Association of America, June, 2011)

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