In this paper, we proved the mass angular momentum inequality\cite{D1}\cite{ChrusLiWe}\cite{SZ} for axisymmetric, asymptotically flat, vacuum constraint data sets with small trace. Given an initial data set with small trace, we construct a boost evolution spacetime of the Einstein vacuum equations as \cite{ChOM}. Then a perturbation method is used to solve the maximal surface equation in the spacetime under certain growing condition at infinity. When the initial data set is axisymmetric, we get an axisymmetric maximal graph with the same ADM mass and angular momentum as the given data. The inequality follows from the known results\cite{D1}\cite{ChrusLiWe}\cite{SZ} about the maximal graph.

In this paper, we study the shape of the min-max minimal hypersurface produced by Almgren-Pitts in F. Almgren, and J. Pitts, corresponding to the fundamental class of a Riemannian manifold $(M^{n+1}, g)$of positive Ricci curvature with 2 ≤ n ≤ 6. We characterize the Morse index, volume and multiplicity of this min-max hypersurface. In particular, we show that the min-max hypersurface is either orientable and of index one, or is a double cover of a non-orientable minimal hypersurface with least area among all closed embedded minimal hypersurfaces.

Given a Riemannian manifold and a closed submanifold, we find a geodesic segment with free boundary on the given submanifold. This is a corollary of the min–max theory which we develop in this article for the free boundary variational problem. In particular, we develop a modified Birkhoff curve shortening process to achieve a strong “Colding–Minicozzi” type min–max approximation result.

In this paper, we study the shape of the min-max minimal hypersurface produced by Almgren-Pitts-Schoen-Simon \cite{AF62, AF65, P81, SS81} in a Riemannian manifold $(M^{n+1}, g)$ of positive Ricci curvature for all dimensions. The min-max hypersurface has a singular set of Hausdorff codimension $7$. We characterize the Morse index, area and multiplicity of this singular min-max hypersurface. In particular, we show that the min-max hypersurface is either orientable and has Morse index one, or is a double cover of a non-orientable stable minimal hypersurface. As an essential technical tool, we prove a stronger version of the discretization theorem. The discretization theorem, first developed by Marques-Neves in their proof of the Willmore conjecture \cite{MN12}, is a bridge to connect sweepouts appearing naturally in geometry to sweepouts used in the min-max theory. Our result removes a critical assumption of \cite{MN12}, called the no mass concentration condition, and hence confirms a conjecture by Marques-Neves in \cite{MN12}.

We show that in a closed 3-manifold with a generic metric of positive Ricci curvature, there are minimal surfaces of arbitrary large Morse index, which partially confirms a conjecture by Marques and Neves. We prove this by analyzing the lamination structure of the limit of minimal surfaces with bounded Morse index.