Min-max minimal surfaces, horizons and electrostatic systems

Abstract

We present a connection between minimal surfaces of index one and General Relativity. First, we show that for a certain class of (electro)static systems, each of its unstable horizons is the solution of a one-parameter min-max problem for the area functional, in particular it has index one. We also obtain an inequality relating the area and the charge of a minimal surface of index one in a Cauchy data satisfying the Dominant Energy Condition for non-electromagnetic matter fields. Moreover, we explore a global version of this inequality, and the rigidity in the case of the equality, using a result proved by Marques and Neves.