Entropy is a natural geometric quantity measuring the complexity of a surface embedded in $\mathbb{R}^3$. For dynamical reasons relating to mean curvature flow, Colding-Ilmanen-Minicozzi-White conjectured that the entropy of any closed surface is at least that of the self-shrinking two-sphere. We prove this conjecture for all closed embedded $2$-spheres. Assuming a conjectural Morse index bound (announced recently by Marques-Neves), we can improve the result to apply to all closed embedded surfaces that are not tori. Our results can be thought of as the parabolic analog to the Willmore conjecture and our argument is analogous in many ways to that of Marques-Neves on the Willmore problem. The main tool is the min-max theory applied to the Gaussian area functional in $\mathbb{R}^3$ which we also establish. To any closed surface in $\mathbb{R}^3$ we associate a four parameter canonical family of surfaces and run a min-max procedure. The key step is ruling out the min-max sequence approaching a self-shrinking plane, and we accomplish this with a degree argument. To establish the min-max theory for $\mathbb{R}^3$ with Gaussian weight, the crucial ingredient is a tightening map that decreases the mass of non-stationary varifolds (with respect to the Gaussian metric of $\mathbb{R}^3$) in a continuous manner.

We prove that Mark Gross’ [8] topological Calabi-Yau compactifications can be made into symplectic compactifications. To prove this we develop a method to construct singular Lagrangian 3-torus fibrations over certain a priori given integral affine manifolds with singularities, which we call simple. This produces pairs of compact symplectic 6-manifolds homeomorphic to mirror pairs of Calabi-Yau 3-folds together with Lagrangian fibrations whose underlying integral affine structures are dual.

We derive local integral and sup- estimates for the curvature of stable marginally outer trapped surfaces in a sliced space-time. The estimates bound the shear of a marginally outer trapped surface in terms of the intrinsic and extrinsic curvature of a slice containing the surface. These estimates are well adapted to situations of physical interest, such as dynamical horizons.

In this note, we prove the sharp Davies-Gaffney-Grigor’yan lemma for minimal heat kernels on graphs.

Let M 4n be a complete quaternionic K¨ahler manifold with scalar curvature bounded below by .16n(n + 2). We get a sharp estimate for the first eigenvalue λ1(M) of the Laplacian, which is λ1(M) ≤ (2n + 1)2. If the equality holds, then either M has only one end, or M is diffeomorphic to R × N with N given by a compact manifold. Moreover, if M is of bounded curvature, M is covered by the quaterionic hyperbolic space QHn and N is a compact quotient of the generalized Heisenberg group. When λ1(M) ≥ 8(n+2) 3 , we also prove that M must have only one end with infinite volume.