Contraction of surfaces in hyperbolic space and in sphere

Abstract

In this paper, we consider the contracting curvature flow of smooth closed surfaces in $3$-dimensional hyperbolic space and in $3$-dimensional sphere. In the hyperbolic case, we show that if the initial surface $M_0$ has positive scalar curvature, then along the flow by a positive power $\alpha$ of the mean curvature $H$, the evolving surface $M_t$ has positive scalar curvature for $t>0$. By assuming $\alpha\in [1,4]$, we can further prove that $M_t$ contracts a point in finite time and become spherical as the final time is approached. We also show the same conclusion for the flows by powers of scalar curvature and by powers of Gauss curvature provided that the power $\alpha\in [1/2,1]$. In the sphere case, we show that the flow by a positive power $\alpha$ of mean curvature contracts strictly convex surface in $\mathbb{S}^3$ to a round point in finite time if $\alpha\in [1,5]$. The same conclusion also holds for the flow by powers of Gauss curvature provided that the power $\alpha\in [1/2,1]$.