- THE NECKPINCH 61
Since Lemma 2.31 implies that 7./Js 2 0 when 0 ::; s ::; s(t), one may then
estimate at any x E [xD(t), x(t)] that
(2.66)
rt r(x) (7.f; )2
s*(t) 2 s(x,t) 2 n lo lo ; dsdt 2 p(t).
In particular, p( t) is bounded above by the distance from the equator to the
bump.
We are now ready to prove that the singularity occurs only on the equa-
torial hypersurface.
PROPOSITION 2.45. If the diameter of the solution g(t) remains bounded
as t / T, then 7.f;(s, T) > 0 for all 0 < s < D/2.
To establish this result, let to E (0, T) and 6 > 0 be given. For E > 0 to
be chosen below, define
l'.(s, t) = c{s - [p(t) - p(to - 6)]}.
By (2.66), the finite-diameter assumption implies that p(T) < oo, hence
that
sup [p(t) - p(to - 6)]
to-8<t<T
becomes arbitrarily small when to - 6 is sufficiently close to T. Proposition
2.45 is thus an immediate consequence of
LEMMA 2.46. If p(T) < oo, then for any to E (0, T) and 6 E (0, to),
there exists E > 0 such that v = 7./Js satisfies
v(s, t) 2 1'.(s, t)
for all points 0 < s < D /2 and times to ::; t < T.
PROOF. Since 1'.(0, to) < 0 and v(s, to) > 0 for all s E (0, s*(to)), one
may choose E1 such that if 0 < E < E1, then v(s, to) > 1'.(s, to) whenever
0 ::; s ::; D /2. So if the lemma is false, there will be a first time f E (to, T)
and a point s E (0, D /2) such that v(s, f) = l'.(8, f). At (s, f), one then has
(2.67) Vt ::; l'.t = E (as at -p ')
as well as v = l'., V 8 = l'.s = E, and V 88 2 l'.ss = 0. Hence
(n-2) (n-1)( 2 ) (n-2) (n-1)(1- 1'.^2 )
Vt= V 88 + 7./J VV 8 + 7.j; 2 1 - V V 2 E 7./J V + 7./J 2 V.
Whenever 0 < E < c 2 = ./2/D, one has l'.::; Es< 1/./2 for all 0::; s::; D/2
and t E [to, T). Then because v 2 0 for s E (0, D/2) C [O, s* (t)], one