We propose a finite-dimensional variational principle on triangulated 3-manifolds so that its critical points are related to solutions to Thurston’s gluing equation and Haken’s normal surface equation. The action functional is the volume.

We consider the inverse curvature flow of strictly convex hypersurfaces in the space form N of constant sectional curvature K_N with speed given by F^{−α}, where α∈(0,1] for K_N=0,−1 and α=1 for K_N=1, F is a smooth, symmetric homogeneous of degree one function which is inverse concave and has dual F_∗ approaching zero on the boundary of the positive cone Γ_+. We show that the ratio of the largest principal curvature to the smallest principal curvature of the flow hypersurface is controlled by its initial value. This can be used to prove the smooth convergence of the flows.

Suppose L is a lamination of a Riemannian manifold by hypersurfaces with the same constant mean curvature H. We prove that every limit leaf of L is stable for the Jacobi operator. A simple but important consequence of this result is that the set of stable leaves of L has the structure of a lamination.

The geometric Cauchy problem for a class of surfaces in a pseudo-Riemannian manifold of dimension 3 is to nd the surface which contains a given curve with a prescribed tangent bundle along the curve. We consider this problem for constant negative Gauss curvature surfaces (pseudospherical surfaces) in Euclidean 3-space, and for timelike constant non-zero mean curvature (CMC) surfaces in the Lorentz-Minkowski 3-space. We prove that there is a unique solution if the prescribed curve is noncharacteristic, and for characteristic initial curves (asymptotic curves for pseudospherical surfaces and null curves for timelike CMC) it is necessary and sucient for similar data to be prescribed along an additional characteristic curve that intersects the rst. The proofs also give a means of constructing all solutions using loop group techniques. The method used is the innite dimensional d'Alembert type representation for surfaces associated with Lorentzian harmonic maps (1-1 wave maps) into symmetric spaces, developed since the 1990's. Explicit formulae for the potentials in terms of the prescribed data are given, and some applications are considered.

We prove the Poisson geometric version of the Local Reeb Stability (from foliation theory) and of the Slice Theorem (from equivariant geometry), which is also a generalization of Conn’s linearization theorem.