Hardt, Robert2019-05-172019-05-172019-052019-04-12May 2019Wu, Jianqiu. "Smooth minimal transport networks and non-orientable minimal surfaces in S3." (2019) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/105958">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/105958</a>.https://hdl.handle.net/1911/105958In this paper we introduce a new optimal transport problem which involves roughly a finite system of simultaneous time-parametrized transport which favors merging paths for efficiency over various time intervals and involves continuously differentiable transitions at the mergings (as with train tracks). We will describe suitable spaces of parametrized networks, topologies, and functionals, and then give an existence and regularity theory. Along the way we obtain necessary and sufficient optimality conditions applicable at times of various mergings. Additionally we introduce the problem of finding minimal surfaces in S3. In particular, we are interested in whether a certain minimal Mobius band is the unique minimal nonorientable surface with boundary a great circle. As this problem is too hard to tackle directly, we studied a related problem in a different bilipschitz space, the boundary of the bi-cylinder D2*D2.application/pdfengCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.optimal transportminimal surfaceThesis2019-05-17