A free boundary minimal surface via a 6-sweepout

Abstract

We prove that the Almgren-Pitts 6-width of the unit 3-ball is less than $2\pi$. We also prove that there exists a free boundary minimal surface in the unit 3-ball that has genus at most 1, index at most 5, area less than $2\pi$, and is not the equatorial disk or the critical catenoid.

Accepted by J. Geom. Anal. Abstract updated