The Parabolic $U(1)$-Higgs Equations and Codimension-two Mean Curvature Flows

Abstract

We develop the asymptotic analysis as $\epsilon\to 0$ for the natural gradient flow of the self-dual $U(1)$-Higgs energies $$E_{\epsilon}(u,\nabla)=\int_M\left(|\nabla u|^2+\epsilon^2|F_{\nabla}|^2+\frac{(1-|u|^2)^2}{4\epsilon^2}\right)$$ on Hermitian line bundles over closed manifolds $(M^n,g)$ of dimension $n\ge 3$, showing that solutions converge in a measure-theoretic sense to codimension-two mean curvature flows -- i.e., integral $(n-2)$-Brakke flows -- generalizing results of the last two authors from the stationary case. Given any integral $(n-2)$-cycle $\Gamma_0$ in $M$, these results can be used together with the convergence theory developed in previous work of the authors to produce nontrivial integral Brakke flows starting at $\Gamma_0$ with additional structure, similar to those produced via Ilmanen's elliptic regularization.