Convex solutions to the mean curvature flow

Xu-Jia Wang

Published 2004-04-19, updated 2010-02-08Version 2

In this paper we study the classification of ancient convex solutions to the mean curvature flow in $\R^{n+1}$. An open problem related to the classification of type II singularities is whether a convex translating solution is $k$-rotationally symmetric for some integer $2\le k\le n$, namely whether its level set is a sphere or cylinder $S^{k-1}\times \R^{n-k}$. In this paper we give an affirmative answer for entire solutions in dimension 2. In high dimensions we prove that there exist non-rotationally symmetric, entire convex translating solutions, but the blow-down in space of any entire convex translating solution is $k$-rotationally symmetric. We also prove that the blow-down in space-time of an ancient convex solution which sweeps the whole space $\R^{n+1}$ is a shrinking sphere or cylinder.