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Panagiota Daskalopoulos

Publications and source records attributed to Panagiota Daskalopoulos.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Formation and structural stability of nondegenerate neckpinches

In this paper, we study the formation, precise asymptotics, and structural stability of neckpinch singularities in mean curvature flow. Motivated by the static rigidity of cylindrical self-shrinkers established by Colding, Ilmanen and Minicozzi, we first prove a dynamical rigidity result: mean curvature flow of hypersurfaces that are initially graphically close to a generalized cylinder on a sufficiently large scale, subject to a localized quadratic upward bending, inevitably develop a neckpinch singularity in finite time. We also establish sharp asymptotic expansions for the profile functions of these locally evolving graphs. We show that the rescaled graphical radius converges to a specific polynomial profile with quadratic bending, proving that the resulting singularities are nondegenerate. Finally, we establish an openness theorem showing that nondegenerate neckpinches are structurally stable under C^2 perturbations of the initial data. Combined with recent density theorems for the 3-dimensional mean curvature flow by Szekelyhidi, our results confirm that nondegenerate neckpinches constitute a generic and stable phenomenon in 3-dimensional mean curvature flow.

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arXiv2026

Mean curvature flow near a peanut solution

It was shown by Angenent, Altschuler and Giga, and by Angenent and Velazquez that there exist closed mean curvature flow solutions that extinct to a point in finite time, without ever becoming convex prior to their extinction. These solutions develop a degenerate neckpinch singularity, meaning that the tangent flow at a singularity is a round cylinder, but at the same time for each of these solutions there exists a sequence of points in space and time, so that the pointed blow up limit around this sequence is the Bowl soliton. These solutions are called peanut solutions and they were first conjectured to exist by Richard Hamilton, while the existence of those solutions was shown by Angenent, Altschuler and Giga. In this paper we show that this type of solutions are highly unstable, in the sense that in every small neighborhood of any such peanut solution we can find a perturbation so that the mean curvature flow starting at that perturbation develops spherical singularity, and at the same time we can find a perturbation so that the mean curvature flow starting at that perturbation develops a nondegenerate neckpinch singularity. We also show that appropriately rescaled subsequence of any sequence of solutions whose initial data converge to the peanut solution, and all of which develop spherical singularities, converges to the Ancient oval solution.

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arXiv2026

Unique asymptotics of $SO(k)\times SO(n-k+1)$ symmetric ancient ovals of Ricci flow

We obtain the unique asymptotics of $SO(k)\times SO(n-k+1)$-invariant, compact, simply-connected, {factorwisely non-self-similar} $n$-dimensional $κ$-solutions of the Ricci flow $(M^n, g(t))$, where $n\geq 4$ and $2\leq k\leq n-2$. More precisely, these $κ$-solutions are either ancient ovals of the Ricci flow that are diffeomorphic to the standard sphere $S^n$, having a positive curvature operator metric $g(t)$ and a cylindrical tangent flow at $-\infty$, or they are a Riemannian product of a Perelman's ancient oval and a shrinking round sphere. The metric $g(t)$ of every $SO(k)\times SO(n-k+1)$-invariant ancient oval is represented in the form $g(t)=dz\otimes dz + F^2(z,t) g_{S^{k-1}} + G^2(z,t)g_{S^{n-k}}$ (up to flipping $k-1$ and $n-k$). We obtain results about the blowdown limits of such solutions, establish the unique sharp asymptotics of the profile function $G(z, t)$, and prove that the uniqueness of $G(z, t)$ implies the uniqueness of $F(z, t)$. In particular, this provides the first instance of a classification result for geometric flows represented by a coupled PDE system, opening new avenues for studying the classification of higher-dimensional $κ$-solutions of the Ricci flow.

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arXiv2024

Classification of bubble-sheet ovals in $\mathbb{R}^{4}$

In this paper, we prove that any bubble-sheet oval for the mean curvature flow in $\mathbb{R}^4$, up to scaling and rigid motion, either is the $\textrm{O}(2)\times \textrm{O}(2)$-symmetric ancient oval constructed by Hershkovits and the fourth author, or belongs to the one-parameter family of $\mathbb{Z}_2^2\times \textrm{O}(2)$-symmetric ancient ovals constructed by the third and fourth author. In particular, this seems to be the first instance of a classification result for geometric flows that are neither cohomogeneity-one nor selfsimilar.

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arXiv2023

Dynamics of Convex Mean Curvature Flow

There is an extensive and growing body of work analyzing convex ancient solutions to Mean Curvature Flow (MCF), or equivalently of Rescaled Mean Curvature Flow (RMCF). The goal of this paper is to complement the existing literature, which analyzes ancient solutions one at a time, by considering the space X of all convex hypersurfaces M, regard RMCF as a semiflow on this space, and study the dynamics of this semiflow. To this end, we first extend the well known existence and uniqueness of solutions to MCF with smooth compact convex initial data to include the case of arbitrary non compact and non smooth initial convex hypersurfaces. We identify a suitable weak topology with good compactness properties on the space X of convex hypersurfaces and show that RMCF defines a continuous local semiflow on X whose fixed points are the shrinking cylinder solitons, and for which the Huisken energy is a Lyapunov function. Ancient solutions to MCF are then complete orbits of the RMCF semiflow on X. We consider the set of all hypersurfaces that lie on an ancient solution that in backward time is asymptotic to one of the shrinking cylinder solitons and prove various topological properties of this set. We show that this space is a path connected, compact subset of X, and, considering only point symmetric hypersurfaces, that it is topologically trivial in the sense of Cech cohomology. We also give a strong evidence in support of the conjecture that the space of all convex ancient solutions with a point symmetry is homeomorphic to an n-1 dimensional simplex.

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arXiv2022

Uniqueness of ancient solutions to Gauss curvature flow asymptotic to a cylinder

We address the classification of ancient solutions to the Gauss curvature flow under the assumption that the solutions are contained in a cylinder of bounded cross section. For each cylinder of convex bounded cross-section, we show that there are only two ancient solutions which are asymptotic to this cylinder: the non-compact translating soliton and the compact oval solution obtained by gluing two translating solitons approaching each other from time $-\infty$ from two opposite ends.

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arXiv2022

Uniqueness of entire graphs evolving by Mean Curvature flow

In this paper we study the uniqueness of graphical mean curvature flow. We consider as initial conditions graphs of locally Lipschitz functions and prove that in the one dimensional case solutions are unique without any further assumptions. This result is then generalized for rotationally symmetric solutions. In the general $n$- dimensional case, we prove uniqueness under additional conditions: we require a { \em uniform lower bound } on the second fundamental form and the height function of the initial condition. The latter result extends to initial conditions that are proper graphs over subdomains of $\mathbb{R}^n$.

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arXiv2022

Convergence of Gauss curvature flows to translating solitons

We address the asymptotic behavior of the $α$-Gauss curvature flow, for $α>1/2$, with initial data a complete non-compact convex hypersurface which is contained in a cylinder of bounded cross section. We show that the flow converges, as $t \to +\infty$, locally smoothly to a translating soliton which is uniquely determined by the asymptotic cylinder of the initial hypersurface.

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arXiv2021

Type II smoothing in mean curvature flow

In 1994 Velazquez constructed a smooth \(O(4)\times O(4)\) invariant Mean Curvature Flow that forms a type-II singularity at the origin in space-time. Stolarski very recently showed that the mean curvature on this solution is uniformly bounded. Earlier, Velazquez also provided formal asymptotic expansions for a possible smooth continuation of the solution after the singularity. Here we prove short time existence of Velazquez formal continuation, and we verify that the mean curvature is also uniformly bounded on the continuation. Combined with the earlier results of Velazquez-Stolarski we therefore show that there exists a solution \(\{M_t^7\subset\R^8 \mid -t_0 <t<t_0\}\) that has an isolated singularity at the origin \(0\in\R^8\), and at \(t=0\); moreover, the mean curvature is uniformly bounded on this solution, even though the second fundamental form is unbounded near the singularity.

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arXiv2021

Unique Asymptotics of Compact Ancient Solutions to three-dimensional Ricci flow

We consider compact ancient solutions to the three-dimensional Ricci flow which are noncollapsed. We prove that such a solutions is either a family of shrinking round spheres, or it has a unique asymptotic behavior as $t \to -\infty$ which we describe. This analysis applies in particular to the ancient solution constructed by Perelman.

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arXiv2021

Uniqueness of compact ancient solutions to the higher dimensional Ricci flow

In this paper, we study the classification of $κ$-noncollapsed ancient solutions to n-dimensional Ricci flow on $S^n$, extending the result in [13] to higher dimensions. We prove that such a solution is either isometric to a family of shrinking round spheres, or the Type II ancient solution constructed by Perelman.

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arXiv2020

Evolution of non-compact hypersurfaces by inverse mean curvature

We study the evolution of complete non-compact convex hypersurfaces in $\mathbb{R}^{n+1}$ by the inverse mean curvature flow. We establish the long time existence of solutions and provide the characterization of the maximal time of existence in terms of the tangent cone at infinity of the initial hypersurface. Our proof is based on an a'priori pointwise estimate on the mean curvature of the solution from below in terms of the aperture of a supporting cone at infinity. The strict convexity of convex solutions is shown by means of viscosity solutions. Our methods also give an alternative proof of the result by Huisken and Ilmanen on compact star-shaped solutions, based on maximum principle argument.

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arXiv2019

Unique asymptotics of ancient compact non-collapsed solutions to the 3-dimensional Ricci flow

We consider compact noncollapsed ancient solutions to the 3-dimensional Ricci flow that are rotationally and reflection symmetric. We prove that these solutions are either the spheres or they all have unique asymptotic behavior as $t\to-\infty$ and we give their precise asymptotic description. This description applies in particular to the solution constructed by G.Perelman

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arXiv2018

Translating solutions to the Gauss curvature flow with flat sides

We derive local $C^{2}$ estimates for complete non-compact translating solitons of the Gauss curvature flow in $\mathbb{R}^3$ which are graphs over a convex domain $Ω$. This is closely is related to deriving local $C^{1,1}$ estimates for the degenerate Monge-Ampére equation. As a result, given a weakly convex bounded domain $Ω$, we establish the existence of a $C^{1,1}_{\text{loc}}$ translating soliton. In particular, when the boundary $\partial Ω$ has a line segment, we show the existence of flat sides of the translator from a local a'priori non-degeneracy estimate near the free-boundary.

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arXiv2018

Type II Singularities on complete non-compact Yamabe flow

This work concerns with the existence and detailed asymptotic analysis of Type II singularities for solutions to complete non-compact conformally flat Yamabe flow with cylindrical behavior at infinity. We provide the specific blow-up rate of the maximum curvature and show that the solution converges, after blowing-up around the curvature maximum points, to a rotationally symmetric steady soliton. It is the first time that the steady soliton is shown to be a finite time singularity model of the Yamabe flow.

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arXiv2018

Convergence of Curve Shortening Flow to Translating Soliton

This paper concerns with the asymptotic behavior of complete non-compact convex curves embedded in $\mathbb{R}^2$ under the $α$-curve shortening flow for exponents $α>\frac12$. We show that any such curve having in addition its two ends asymptotic to two parallel lines, converges under $α$-curve shortening flow to the unique translating soliton whose ends are asymptotic to the same parallel lines. This is a new result even in the standard case $α=1$, and we prove for all exponents up to the critical case $α>\frac12$.

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