Let $(M^n,g)$ be simply connected, complete, with non-positive sectional curvatures, and $\Sigma$ a 2-dimensional closed integral current (or flat chain mod 2) with compact support in $M$. Let $S$ be an area minimising integral 3-current (resp. flat chain mod 2) such that $\partial S = \Sigma$. We use a weak mean curvature flow, obtained via elliptic regularisation, starting from $\Sigma$, to show that S satisfies the optimal Euclidean isoperimetric inequality: $ 6 \sqrt{ \pi}\, \mathbf{ M}[S] \leq (\mathbf{ M}[\Sigma])^{ 3/2} $. We also obtain an optimal estimate in case the sectional curvatures of M are bounded from above by $-\kappa < 0$ and characterise the case of equality. The proof follows from an almost monotonicity of a suitable isoperimetric difference along the approximating flows in one dimension higher and an optimal estimate for the Willmore energy of a 2-dimensional integral varifold with first variation summable in $L^2$.
Categories: math.DG math.AP