We show the intersection of a compact almost complex subvariety of dimension 4 and a compact almost complex submanifold of codimension 2 is a J-holomorphic curve. This is a generalization of positivity of intersections for J-holomorphic curves in almost complex 4-manifolds to higher dimensions. As an application, we discuss pseudoholomorphic sections of a complex line bundle. We introduce a method to produce J-holomorphic curves using the differential geometry of almost Hermitian manifolds. When our main result is applied to pseudoholomorphic maps, we prove the singularity subset of a pseudoholomorphic map between almost complex 4-manifolds is J-holomorphic. Building on this, we show degree one pseudoholomorphic maps between almost complex 4-manifolds are actually birational morphisms in pseudoholomorphic category.

Let $(X,\alpha)$ be a K\"ahler manifold of dimension $n$, and let $[\omega] \in H^{1,1}(X,\mathbb{R})$. We study the problem of specifying the Lagrangian phase of $\omega$ with respect to $\alpha$, which is described by the nonlinear elliptic equation \[ \sum_{i=1}^{n} \arctan(\la_i)= h(x) \] where $\la_i$ are the eigenvalues of $\omega$ with respect to $\alpha$. When $h(x)$ is a topological constant, this equation corresponds to the deformed Hermitian-Yang-Mills (dHYM) equation, and is related by Mirror Symmetry to the existence of special Lagrangian submanifolds of the mirror. We introduce a notion of subsolution for this equation, and prove a priori $C^{2,\beta}$ estimates when $|h|>(n-2)\frac{\pi}{2}$ and a subsolution exists. Using the method of continuity we show that the dHYM equation admits a smooth solution in the supercritical phase case, whenever a subsolution exists. Finally, we discover some stability-type cohomological obstructions to the existence of solutions to the dHYM equation and we conjecture that when these obstructions vanish the dHYM equation admits a solution. We confirm this conjecture for complex surfaces.

We study the deformed Hermitian-Yang-Mills (dHYM) equation, which is mirror to the special Lagrangian equation, from the variational point of view via an infinite dimensional GIT problem mirror to Thomas' GIT picture for special Lagrangians. This gives rise to infinite dimensional manifold $\mathcal{H}$ mirror to Solomon's space of positive Lagrangians. In the hypercritical phase case we prove the existence of smooth approximate geodesics, and weak geodesics with $C^{1,\alpha}$ regularity. This is accomplished by proving sharp with respect to scale estimates for the Lagrangian phase operator on collapsing manifolds with boundary. We apply these results to the infinite dimensional GIT problem for deformed Hermitian-Yang-Mills. We associate algebraic invariants to certain birational models of $X\times \Delta$, where $\Delta \subset \mathbb{C}$ is a disk. Using the existence of regular weak geodesics we prove that these invariants give rise to obstructions to the existence of solutions to the dHYM equation. Furthermore, we show that these invariants fit into a stability framework closely related to Bridgeland stability. Finally, we use a Fourier-Mukai transform on toric K\"ahler manifolds to describe degenerations of Lagrangian sections of SYZ torus fibrations of Landau-Ginzburg models $(Y,W)$. We speculate on the resulting algebraic invariants, and discuss the implications for relating Bridgeland stability to the existence of special Lagrangian sections of $(Y,W)$.

In this survey, we discuss some recent results on free boundary minimal surfaces in the Euclidean unit-ball. The subject has been a very active field of research in the past few years due to the seminal work of Fraser and Schoen on the extremal Steklov eigenvalue problem. We review several different techniques of constructing examples of embedded free boundary minimal surfaces in the unit ball. Next, we discuss some uniqueness results for free boundary minimal disks and the conjecture about the uniqueness of critical catenoid. We also discuss several Morse index estimates for free boundary minimal surfaces. Moreover, we describe estimates for the first Steklov eigenvalue on such free boundary minimal surfaces and various smooth compactness results. Finally, we mention some sharp area bounds for free boundary minimal submanifolds and related questions.

For any smooth Riemannian metric on an (n+1)-dimensional compact manifold with boundary (M,∂M) where 3≤(n+1)≤7, we establish general upper bounds for the Morse index of free boundary minimal hypersurfaces produced by min-max theory in the Almgren-Pitts setting. We apply our Morse index estimates to prove that for almost every (in the C-infinity Baire sense) Riemannan metric, the union of all compact, properly embedded free boundary minimal hypersurfaces is dense in M. If ∂M is further assumed to have a strictly mean convex point, we show the existence of infinitely many compact, properly embedded free boundary minimal hypersurfaces whose boundaries are non-empty. Our results prove a conjecture of Yau for generic metrics in the free boundary setting.