Analysis of boundary bubbles for almost minimal cylinders

We analyse the asymptotic behaviour of solutions of the Teichmüller harmonic map flow from cylinders, and more generally of ‘almost minimal cylinders’, in situations where the maps satisfy a Plateau-boundary condition for which the three-point condition degenerates. We prove that such a degenerating boundary condition forces the domain to stretch out as a boundary bubble forms. Our main result then establishes that for prescribed boundary curves that satisfy a separation condition, these boundary bubbles will not only be harmonic but will themselves be branched minimal immersions. Together with earlier work, this in particular completes the proof that the Teichmüller harmonic map flow changes every initial surface in Rⁿ spanning such boundary curves into a solution of the corresponding Douglas-Plateau problem.