TITLE: Minimal surfaces + Semi-Geodesic Coordinates
QUESTION [5 upvotes]: Let $(M,g)$ be a three dimensional smooth Riemannian manifold and suppose that $\Gamma$ is an embedded minimal surface in $M$. Define the Fermi or semigeodesic coordinates around this surface through the local diffeomorhism  $Z:\Gamma \times \mathbb{R} \to M$ 
$ Z(y,z) = Exp_y (z N(y)) $ where $N$ is the unit vector along $\Sigma$
Define $\Gamma_{t} = \left\{ {x_3=t} \right\} $. and let $H_{x_3}$ denote the mean curvature of $\Gamma_{x_3}$
Does there exist a conformal factor $c$ such that if $ \hat{g} = c g$ then $\hat{H_t}$ is constant for all sufficiently small t?
Thanks

REPLY [4 votes]: Yes, this can always be done as long as $\Gamma$ has a positive injectivity radius.  
In fact, calculation yields the following formula:  Let $V$ be the unit vector field (defined in a neighborhood of $\Gamma$) that is $g$-perpendicular to the level sets of $t$ (i.e., $V$ is perpendicular to each $\Gamma_t$).
This $V$ is well-defined on a $\Gamma$-neighborhood $U\subset M$.  Then 
$$
\mathrm{d}c(V) = 2 H\,c - 2\hat H\,c^{3/2},
$$
where $H$ is the function on $U$ that gives the mean curvature of the level sets $\Gamma_t$ in the metric $g$ and $\hat H$ is the function on $U$ that gives the mean curvature of the level sets $\Gamma_t$ in the metric $\hat g = c g$.  
Thus, one can specify any desired function $\hat H$ (in particular, a function constant on the each level set $\Gamma_t$) and choose any desired initial function $c_0>0$ on $\Gamma=\Gamma_0$, and there will be a unique solution $c>0$ to the above equation (which is a first order PDE) that satisfies $c = c_0$ along $\Gamma_0$.  This solution $c$ will be defined on an open neighborhood $\hat U\subset U$.