Stability and uniqueness of minimal disks in non-constant curvature

Abstract

Nitsche proved that every smooth Jordan curve in $\mathbb{R}^3$ of total curvature at most $4\pi$ bounds a unique minimal disk, which is moreover strictly stable. We prove an analogue of this result for Riemannian $3$-balls with mean convex boundary, under an explicit pinching condition on the negative sectional curvature, together with a bound on the covariant derivative of the Ricci tensor. In this setting, every smooth Jordan curve in the boundary sphere of total curvature at most $4\pi$ bounds a unique embedded minimal disk which is strictly stable.