Papers
Topics
Authors
Recent
Search
2000 character limit reached

Mixed Christoffel-Minkowski Problem

Updated 8 July 2026
  • Mixed Christoffel-Minkowski problem is an inverse problem in convex geometry that prescribes mixed area or curvature measures to recover a convex body through support functions.
  • It integrates methods from Brunn–Minkowski theory, elliptic and parabolic PDEs, and mixed volume techniques to establish existence, uniqueness, and regularity of solutions.
  • Key challenges include handling nonlinear and linear PDE formulations under symmetry reductions, with extensions to Lp, dual, and variational frameworks.

The mixed Christoffel–Minkowski problem denotes a family of inverse problems in convex geometry in which one prescribes a mixed area measure, or an equivalent curvature density on the sphere, and seeks a convex body realizing that datum. In the formulations represented by recent work, the problem includes prescribing S(K1,,Kn1;)S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};\cdot) with all but one reference body fixed, prescribing repeated mixed area measures Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot), and solving support-function equations involving combinations of the elementary symmetric functions of S2u+uI\nabla_S^2u+uI (Brauner et al., 13 Aug 2025, Brauner et al., 13 Aug 2025, Ivaki, 2023). The subject links Brunn–Minkowski theory, elliptic and parabolic PDE, mixed volumes, and rigidity theory; the central questions are existence, uniqueness, regularity, and whether an analytic solution is geometric, i.e. whether it is the support function of a convex body.

1. Geometric formulations and basic objects

A standard formulation fixes convex bodies K1,,Kn1RnK_1,\dots,K_{n-1}\subset\mathbb R^n and considers the mixed area measure

S(K1,,Kn1;β),βSn1 Borel,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};\beta),\qquad \beta\subset S^{n-1}\ \text{Borel},

characterized by the polarization identity

V(L,K1,,Kn1)=1nSn1hL(u)S(K1,,Kn1;du)V(L,K_1,\dots,K_{n-1}) = \frac1n\int_{S^{n-1}} h_L(u)\,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};du)

for every convex body LL. In the anisotropic Christoffel problem one fixes CK(Rn)C\in\mathcal K(\mathbb R^n) and asks for necessary and sufficient conditions on a finite Borel measure μ\mu so that

μ=S1(K,C;)\mu=S_1(K,C;\cdot)

for some convex body Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)0 (Brauner et al., 13 Aug 2025).

A closely related notation repeats one free body several times. For Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)1 and fixed bodies Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)2, one writes

Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)3

with Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)4 appearing Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)5 times. The corresponding problem is to characterize those Borel measures Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)6 that can be represented as

Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)7

for some convex Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)8 (Brauner et al., 13 Aug 2025).

In support-function language, if Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)9 is smooth and strictly convex, its support function is

S2u+uI\nabla_S^2u+uI0

and the matrix

S2u+uI\nabla_S^2u+uI1

has eigenvalues equal to the principal radii of curvature. Writing S2u+uI\nabla_S^2u+uI2 for the S2u+uI\nabla_S^2u+uI3-th elementary symmetric function, the classical S2u+uI\nabla_S^2u+uI4-th Christoffel–Minkowski problem prescribes S2u+uI\nabla_S^2u+uI5, while mixed variants prescribe combinations of the S2u+uI\nabla_S^2u+uI6 or more general weighted measures (Guan et al., 2019).

The literature represented here uses the phrase “mixed Christoffel–Minkowski problem” in several adjacent senses. One sense is the mixed area-measure problem with fixed reference bodies (Brauner et al., 13 Aug 2025, Brauner et al., 13 Aug 2025, Colesanti et al., 9 Dec 2025). Another is the prescribed mixed curvature equation

S2u+uI\nabla_S^2u+uI7

which becomes a support-function PDE (Guan et al., 2019). A third consists of S2u+uI\nabla_S^2u+uI8, dual, and S2u+uI\nabla_S^2u+uI9 variants that mix area measures with dual curvature measures or related geometric measures (Chen et al., 2020, Chen et al., 2022, Cabezas-Moreno et al., 7 Apr 2025).

2. Support-function equations and PDE reductions

On the sphere, a function K1,,Kn1RnK_1,\dots,K_{n-1}\subset\mathbb R^n0 determines the hypersurface

K1,,Kn1RnK_1,\dots,K_{n-1}\subset\mathbb R^n1

and the spherical Hessian

K1,,Kn1RnK_1,\dots,K_{n-1}\subset\mathbb R^n2

encodes the principal radii of curvature. Guan and Zhang study the general equation

K1,,Kn1RnK_1,\dots,K_{n-1}\subset\mathbb R^n3

with K1,,Kn1RnK_1,\dots,K_{n-1}\subset\mathbb R^n4 and K1,,Kn1RnK_1,\dots,K_{n-1}\subset\mathbb R^n5. When K1,,Kn1RnK_1,\dots,K_{n-1}\subset\mathbb R^n6 and K1,,Kn1RnK_1,\dots,K_{n-1}\subset\mathbb R^n7, this becomes the mixed Christoffel–Minkowski equation

K1,,Kn1RnK_1,\dots,K_{n-1}\subset\mathbb R^n8

which prescribes a convex combination of area measures (Guan et al., 2019).

Ivaki studies a non-homogeneous isotropic mixed Christoffel–Minkowski type operator

K1,,Kn1RnK_1,\dots,K_{n-1}\subset\mathbb R^n9

where S(K1,,Kn1;β),βSn1 Borel,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};\beta),\qquad \beta\subset S^{n-1}\ \text{Borel},0 and at least two coefficients are strictly positive. The prescribed equation is

S(K1,,Kn1;β),βSn1 Borel,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};\beta),\qquad \beta\subset S^{n-1}\ \text{Borel},1

When S(K1,,Kn1;β),βSn1 Borel,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};\beta),\qquad \beta\subset S^{n-1}\ \text{Borel},2 and S(K1,,Kn1;β),βSn1 Borel,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};\beta),\qquad \beta\subset S^{n-1}\ \text{Borel},3, this is exactly the classical mixed Christoffel–Minkowski problem posed by Firey and Schneider in the 1970’s (Ivaki, 2023).

For fixed reference bodies of class S(K1,,Kn1;β),βSn1 Borel,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};\beta),\qquad \beta\subset S^{n-1}\ \text{Borel},4, the mixed area-measure problem can also reduce to a linear elliptic PDE. If S(K1,,Kn1;β),βSn1 Borel,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};\beta),\qquad \beta\subset S^{n-1}\ \text{Borel},5 are fixed and S(K1,,Kn1;β),βSn1 Borel,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};\beta),\qquad \beta\subset S^{n-1}\ \text{Borel},6 is the support function of the unknown body S(K1,,Kn1;β),βSn1 Borel,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};\beta),\qquad \beta\subset S^{n-1}\ \text{Borel},7, then the mixed area density is

S(K1,,Kn1;β),βSn1 Borel,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};\beta),\qquad \beta\subset S^{n-1}\ \text{Borel},8

where S(K1,,Kn1;β),βSn1 Borel,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};\beta),\qquad \beta\subset S^{n-1}\ \text{Borel},9 is the mixed discriminant and V(L,K1,,Kn1)=1nSn1hL(u)S(K1,,Kn1;du)V(L,K_1,\dots,K_{n-1}) = \frac1n\int_{S^{n-1}} h_L(u)\,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};du)0. By linearity in the last slot there is a positive-definite coefficient matrix V(L,K1,,Kn1)=1nSn1hL(u)S(K1,,Kn1;du)V(L,K_1,\dots,K_{n-1}) = \frac1n\int_{S^{n-1}} h_L(u)\,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};du)1 such that

V(L,K1,,Kn1)=1nSn1hL(u)S(K1,,Kn1;du)V(L,K_1,\dots,K_{n-1}) = \frac1n\int_{S^{n-1}} h_L(u)\,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};du)2

Thus the mixed Christoffel problem becomes a linear uniformly elliptic equation on V(L,K1,,Kn1)=1nSn1hL(u)S(K1,,Kn1;du)V(L,K_1,\dots,K_{n-1}) = \frac1n\int_{S^{n-1}} h_L(u)\,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};du)3, with the geometric issue shifted to proving that V(L,K1,,Kn1)=1nSn1hL(u)S(K1,,Kn1;du)V(L,K_1,\dots,K_{n-1}) = \frac1n\int_{S^{n-1}} h_L(u)\,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};du)4 (Colesanti et al., 9 Dec 2025).

These PDE reductions clarify an important structural distinction. In the fixed-reference-body formulation, the unknown support function enters linearly through the mixed discriminant polarization (Colesanti et al., 9 Dec 2025). In isotropic or mixed-curvature prescriptions, the equation is fully nonlinear in the eigenvalues of V(L,K1,,Kn1)=1nSn1hL(u)S(K1,,Kn1;du)V(L,K_1,\dots,K_{n-1}) = \frac1n\int_{S^{n-1}} h_L(u)\,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};du)5 (Ivaki, 2023, Guan et al., 2019).

3. Existence, admissibility, and regularity

For the fully nonlinear curvature equation on V(L,K1,,Kn1)=1nSn1hL(u)S(K1,,Kn1;du)V(L,K_1,\dots,K_{n-1}) = \frac1n\int_{S^{n-1}} h_L(u)\,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};du)6, Guan and Zhang prove a global existence theorem under group invariance. If V(L,K1,,Kn1)=1nSn1hL(u)S(K1,,Kn1;du)V(L,K_1,\dots,K_{n-1}) = \frac1n\int_{S^{n-1}} h_L(u)\,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};du)7, V(L,K1,,Kn1)=1nSn1hL(u)S(K1,,Kn1;du)V(L,K_1,\dots,K_{n-1}) = \frac1n\int_{S^{n-1}} h_L(u)\,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};du)8, and a group V(L,K1,,Kn1)=1nSn1hL(u)S(K1,,Kn1;du)V(L,K_1,\dots,K_{n-1}) = \frac1n\int_{S^{n-1}} h_L(u)\,S(K_1,\dots,K_{n-1};du)9 acts without fixed points with LL0 LL1-invariant, then there exists an admissible solution

LL2

of the curvature equation, unique up to adding first spherical harmonics. The proof combines ellipticity and concavity of

LL3

in LL4, LL5 and LL6 estimates, Evans–Krylov, and a degree-theoretic homotopy argument (Guan et al., 2019).

For the fixed-body mixed Christoffel problem in the LL7 category, Colesanti–Focardi–Guan–Salani first solve the linear elliptic equation

LL8

modulo linear functions, assuming

LL9

They then prove a constant-rank theorem: if CK(Rn)C\in\mathcal K(\mathbb R^n)0 is positive-definite and the mixed concavity condition (3.7) holds, any CK(Rn)C\in\mathcal K(\mathbb R^n)1 solution with CK(Rn)C\in\mathcal K(\mathbb R^n)2 has constant rank, and on the full sphere this forces rank CK(Rn)C\in\mathcal K(\mathbb R^n)3, hence CK(Rn)C\in\mathcal K(\mathbb R^n)4. Under the additional condition that the CK(Rn)C\in\mathcal K(\mathbb R^n)5-homogeneous extension of CK(Rn)C\in\mathcal K(\mathbb R^n)6 to CK(Rn)C\in\mathcal K(\mathbb R^n)7 is convex, Theorem 3.4 yields a unique, up to translation, CK(Rn)C\in\mathcal K(\mathbb R^n)8 convex body solving the mixed problem (Colesanti et al., 9 Dec 2025).

The role of admissibility is central throughout. In Guan–Zhang, admissibility means CK(Rn)C\in\mathcal K(\mathbb R^n)9, which is enough for ellipticity and concavity of the operator but does not automatically imply full convexity μ\mu0. The paper explicitly identifies the extension of constant-rank arguments from the homogeneous μ\mu1 case to inhomogeneous sums μ\mu2 as an open but promising problem for obtaining genuine convex solutions of the mixed Christoffel–Minkowski problem (Guan et al., 2019).

Regularity theory depends on the formulation. In the global sphere problem, μ\mu3 follows from uniform ellipticity and concavity, and higher regularity follows from Schauder theory (Guan et al., 2019). In the linear mixed-Christoffel reduction, μ\mu4 follows from standard elliptic theory once μ\mu5 (Colesanti et al., 9 Dec 2025). In weak and non-smooth symmetry-reduced settings, the natural output is instead convex Aleksandrov solutions or continuous support functions, with smoothness neither assumed nor required (Brauner et al., 13 Aug 2025, Mussnig et al., 15 Aug 2025).

4. Uniqueness, rigidity, and the Firey question

A major rigidity result is Ivaki’s even isotropic uniqueness theorem. Let

μ\mu6

where μ\mu7 is μ\mu8, at least two μ\mu9 are positive, and μ=S1(K,C;)\mu=S_1(K,C;\cdot)0 is even and strictly convex. If

μ=S1(K,C;)\mu=S_1(K,C;\cdot)1

and

μ=S1(K,C;)\mu=S_1(K,C;\cdot)2

where μ=S1(K,C;)\mu=S_1(K,C;\cdot)3, then μ=S1(K,C;)\mu=S_1(K,C;\cdot)4 is constant, hence the solution is the support function of an origin-centred sphere (Ivaki, 2023).

In the special isotropic case μ=S1(K,C;)\mu=S_1(K,C;\cdot)5 and μ=S1(K,C;)\mu=S_1(K,C;\cdot)6, this answers Firey’s 1974 question in the even isotropic regime: if a nonnegative linear combination of isotropic kinematic measures is proportional to surface area measure, then among origin-centred even strictly convex bodies the only solution is the sphere (Ivaki, 2023). The proof uses the Heintze–Karcher inequality. For a closed convex hypersurface μ=S1(K,C;)\mu=S_1(K,C;\cdot)7 with mean curvature μ=S1(K,C;)\mu=S_1(K,C;\cdot)8,

μ=S1(K,C;)\mu=S_1(K,C;\cdot)9

with equality if and only if Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)00 is a round sphere. In support-function form, testing the equation

Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)01

against Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)02 and integrating by parts, together with the sign conditions on Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)03, forces equality in Heintze–Karcher and therefore spherical rigidity (Ivaki, 2023).

Immediate corollaries include uniqueness for the isotropic Orlicz–Minkowski problem under Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)04, Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)05, with at least one strict inequality, and for the isotropic Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)06-Gaussian–Minkowski problem

Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)07

for which every smooth strictly convex solution is a sphere (Ivaki, 2023).

The uniqueness statements in the broader literature are more varied. For fixed reference bodies, uniqueness is often only up to translation, reflecting invariance of area measures under translation (Brauner et al., 13 Aug 2025, Colesanti et al., 9 Dec 2025). In some Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)08 or Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)09 settings, uniqueness is up to dilation when Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)10 (Chen et al., 2020). The literature therefore distinguishes translation-invariant inverse problems from rigidity results that force the recovered body to be spherical under isotropic and symmetry assumptions.

5. Symmetry-reduced complete solutions

A complete solution is available in several symmetry classes. In the disk-area-measure problem, Brauner–Hofstätter–Ortega-Moreno fix the Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)11-dimensional disk

Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)12

and study measures of the form Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)13. If Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)14 is a nonnegative, centered, finite Borel measure on Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)15 with Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)16, then there exists Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)17 with

Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)18

if and only if: Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)19 is absolutely continuous with respect to rotation-invariant measure on the Grassmannian with continuous density; for almost every Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)20, the conditional measure Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)21 on Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)22 is centered; and there exists a continuous support function Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)23 satisfying the integral equation

Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)24

When these conditions hold, Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)25 is unique up to translation. The proof reduces the Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)26-dimensional problem to planar Christoffel problems on the circles Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)27 by disintegration and a Kubota-type projection formula (Brauner et al., 13 Aug 2025).

Under axial symmetry, Brauner–Hofstätter–Ortega-Moreno obtain a complete solution without assuming regularity. If all bodies involved are symmetric about a common axis Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)28, then for a centered zonal measure Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)29 the existence of a body of revolution Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)30 with

Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)31

is equivalent to five conditions: a support condition, non-degeneracy, positivity of a transferred measure on the interval Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)32, finiteness of two boundary ratios, and an equator-mass condition. In that case the solution is unique up to vertical translation. The argument uses a one-dimensional integral operator Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)33 associated with the profile functions Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)34, the semigroup identity Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)35, inversion of the adjoint transform, and reconstruction from planar sections (Brauner et al., 13 Aug 2025).

In a more explicit rotationally symmetric setting, Mussnig–Ulivelli characterize the classical Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)36-th area-measure problem for bodies of revolution by moment quotients

Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)37

For a finite, centered, Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)38-invariant Borel measure Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)39, there exists a body of revolution Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)40 with Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)41 and Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)42 of positive radius if and only if Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)43 and Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)44 are non-trivial and non-decreasing. The associated radial convex functions are given explicitly by

Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)45

and, after convex conjugation and gluing, one obtains an explicit three-piece formula for the support function on the sphere (Mussnig et al., 15 Aug 2025).

These symmetry reductions show that the mixed Christoffel–Minkowski problem can change character dramatically under invariance assumptions. In the general case, the problem may require nonlinear elliptic estimates or geometric admissibility theorems; in the rotationally symmetric case, it can reduce to one-dimensional monotonicity conditions or to compatible families of planar Christoffel problems (Brauner et al., 13 Aug 2025, Brauner et al., 13 Aug 2025, Mussnig et al., 15 Aug 2025).

6. Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)46, dual, and variational extensions

Several recent works extend the mixed Christoffel–Minkowski problem beyond mixed area measures. Chen–Cui–Zhao introduce the Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)47-th Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)48-mixed curvature measure

Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)49

and pose the problem of finding Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)50 such that Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)51. For a smooth positive density Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)52, the equation is

Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)53

When Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)54, a normalized expanding flow

Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)55

has a unique smooth solution for all Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)56, and a subsequence converges in Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)57 to a limit solving the elliptic equation. The same paper proves uniqueness for smooth solutions when Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)58 by a comparison of the ratio Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)59 (Chen et al., 2022).

A different extension is based on Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)60-dual mixed curvature measures. For Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)61, Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)62, and Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)63, one defines

Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)64

and asks for Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)65 such that

Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)66

The associated variational object is the Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)67-mixed quermassintegral Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)68, obtained as the first variation of Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)69. The existence theory is formulated as a maximization problem for

Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)70

The only genuine obstruction to existence is that Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)71 must not charge any closed hemisphere; in the even case, Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)72 must not concentrate on any great subsphere. Under these hypotheses one has existence, and for Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)73 one has full uniqueness, while for Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)74 uniqueness holds modulo dilation (Chen et al., 2020).

The Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)75 dual Christoffel–Minkowski problem studied in (Cabezas-Moreno et al., 7 Apr 2025) prescribes a measure that mixes the Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)76-th area measure and the Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)77-th dual curvature measure. In PDE form,

Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)78

For Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)79, Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)80, Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)81 even, and

Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)82

there exists at least one even, smooth, strictly convex solution. The proof combines Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)83, gradient, non-collapse, full-rank, and Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)84 estimates with Leray–Schauder degree theory. In the isotropic case Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)85, the paper also proves spherical uniqueness under additional relations between Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)86 (Cabezas-Moreno et al., 7 Apr 2025).

These extensions preserve the basic Christoffel–Minkowski pattern—recovering a convex body from a prescribed spherical measure—but replace the classical area measure by mixed, dual, or Sk(K;Lk+1,,Ln1;)S_k(K;L_{k+1},\dots,L_{n-1};\cdot)87-weighted analogues. They also show that no single method dominates the field: degree theory, curvature flows, variational maximization, constant-rank arguments, Kubota-type formulas, and sharp inequalities all appear as primary tools, depending on the geometric measure being prescribed (Guan et al., 2019, Chen et al., 2022, Chen et al., 2020, Cabezas-Moreno et al., 7 Apr 2025).

Topic to Video (Beta)

No one has generated a video about this topic yet.

Whiteboard

No one has generated a whiteboard explanation for this topic yet.

Follow Topic

Get notified by email when new papers are published related to Mixed Christoffel-Minkowski Problem.