Stability and bifurcation for surfaces with constant mean curvature

Abstract

We give criteria for the existence of smooth bifurcation branches of fixed boundary CMC surfaces in $\mathbb R^3$, and we discuss stability/instability issues for the surfaces in bifurcating branches. To illustrate the theory, we discuss an explicit example obtained from a bifurcating branch of fixed boundary unduloids in ${\mathbb R}^3$.