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MinLab

MinLab Guide

A genus-zero minimal surface with four catenoid ends.

Files

To open a MinLab surface specification file, choose "Files | Open MinLab File" from the MinLab menu.
Open File Panel
The Open MinLab File panel (File | Open MinLab File)

Computing

The MinLab panel (Controls | MinLab) is where you specify the input for the minimal surface you want to compute. It has three pages:
  • The Surface panel is where the Weierstrass data and initial conditions are set. (Controls | MinLab | Surface)
  • The Parameters panel is for specifying the associate family parameter. (Controls | MinLab | Param)
  • The Settings panel is for specifying internal settings controlling the integrator. (Controls | MinLab | Settings)

Surface Panel

MinLab Surface Panel
The Surface page on the MinLab controls panel (Controls | Minlab | Surface)
The "surface" page on the MinLab controls panel is where you specify the Weierstrass or spinor representation for the minimal surface:
  • The Weierstrass representation takes as input two meromorphic functions g and f, and computes the minimal surface as
  • Alternately, the spinor representation takes as input two meromorphic functions a and b, and computes the minimal surface as

The syntax expressing the parametrizing functions g and f (or a and b) is Mathematica-like; see parser syntax for details.

Information about the parser syntax for the functions g and f.

Parameters Panel

MinLab Parameters Panel
The Param page on the MinLab controls panel (Controls | MinLab | Param)
From the "param" page on the MinLab controls panel you can interactively move through the associate family of minimal surfaces.
MinLab Settings Panel
The Settings page on the MinLab controls panel (Controls | MinLab | Settings)

Settings Panel

The "settings" page lets you fine-tune the integrator:
  • integrator count -- how many integration steps the integrator takes along the edge of each polygon making up the surface.
  • init integrator count -- how many integration steps the integrator takes along the initial line from the base point to the first point of the surface.


MinLab Guide GANG