We establish curvature estimates and a convexity result for mean convex properly embedded $[φ,\vec{e}_{3}]$-minimal surfaces in $\mathbb{R}^3$, i.e., $φ$-minimal surfaces when $φ$ depends only on the third coordinate of $\mathbb{R}^3$. Led by the works on curvature estimates for surfaces in 3-manifolds, due to White for minimal surfaces, to Rosenberg, Souam and Toubiana, for stable CMC surfaces, and to Spruck and Xiao for stable translating solitons in $\mathbb{R}^3$, we use a compactness argument to provide curvature estimates for a family of mean convex $[φ,\vec{e}_{3}]$-minimal surfaces in $\mathbb{R}^{3}$. We apply this result to generalize the convexity property of Spruck and Xiao for translating solitons. More precisely, we characterize the convexity of a properly embedded $[φ,\vec{e}_{3}]$-minimal surface in $\mathbb{R}^{3}$ with non positive mean curvature when the growth at infinity of $φ$ is at most quadratic.
For any H in [0,1), we construct complete, non-proper, stable, simply-connected surfaces with constant mean curvature H embedded in hyperbolic 3-space.
We show that the image of a nonconstant conformal harmonic map $\mathbb C\to \mathbb R^3$, not necessarily proper and possibly with branch points, intersects every properly embedded nonflat minimal surface of bounded curvature in $\mathbb R^3$. The same holds if $\mathbb C$ is replaced by any open conformal surface without nonconstant bounded subharmonic functions.
We prove prove a bridge principle at infinity for area-minimizing surfaces in the hyperbolic space $\mathbb{H}^3$, and we use it to prove that any open, connected, orientable surface can be properly embedded in $\mathbb{H}^3$ as an area-minimizing surface. Moreover, the embedding can be constructed in such a way that the limit sets of different ends are disjoint.
In 1997, Collin proved that any properly embedded minimal surface in $\mathbb{R}^3$ with finite topology and more than one end has finite total Gaussian curvature. Hence, by an earlier result of Lopez and Ros, catenoids are the only non-planar, non-simply connected, properly embedded, minimal planar domains in $\mathbb{R}^3$ of finite topology. In 2005, Meeks and Rosenberg proved that the only simply connected, properly embedded minimal surfaces in $\mathbb{R}^3$ are planes and helicoids. Around 1860, Riemann defined a one-parameter family of periodic, infinite topology, properly embedded, min…
In this paper we prove two theorems. The first one is a structure result that describes the extrinsic geometry of an embedded surface with constant mean curvature (possibly zero) in a homogeneously regular Riemannian three-manifold, in any small neighborhood of a point of large almost-maximal curvature. We next apply this theorem and the Quadratic Curvature Decay Theorem (previously proven by the same authors in [14]) to deduce compactness, descriptive and dynamics-type results concerning the space $D(M)$ of non-flat limits under dilations of any given properly embedded minimal surface $M$ in …
The aim of this paper is to extend classic results of the theory of CMC surfaces in the product spaces to the class of immersed surfaces in $\mathbb{M}^2(κ)\times\mathbb{R}$ whose mean curvature is given as a $C^1$ function depending on their angle function. We cover topics such as the existence of a priori curvature estimates for graphs, height estimates for horizontal and vertical compact graphs and a structure-type result, which classifies all the simply connected, properly embedded surfaces with finite topology.
In $\mathbb{S}^2 \times \mathbb{R}$ there is a two-parameter family of properly embedded minimal annuli foliated by circles. In this paper we show that this family contains all properly embedded minimal annuli. We use the description of minimal annuli in $\mathbb{S}^2 \times \mathbb{R}$ by periodic harmonic maps $G : \mathbb{C} \to \mathbb{S}^2$ of finite type. Due to the algebraic geometric correspondence of Hitchin [14], these harmonic maps are parametrized by hyperelliptic algebraic curves together with Abelian differentials with prescribed poles. We deform annuli by deforming spectral data…
We study properly embedded and immersed p(pseudohermitian)-minimal surfaces in the 3-dimensional Heisenberg group. From the recent work of Cheng, Hwang, Malchiodi, and Yang, we learn that such surfaces must be ruled surfaces. There are two types of such surfaces: band type and annulus type according to their topology. We give an explicit expression for these surfaces. Among band types there is a class of properly embedded p-minimal surfaces of so called helicoid type. We classify all the helicoid type p-minimal surfaces. This class of p-minimal surfaces includes all the entire p-minimal graphs…
In this paper, we show that there are non-properly embedded minimal surfaces with finite topology in a simply connected Riemannian 3-manifold with nonpositive curvature. We show this result by constructing a non-properly embedded minimal plane in hyperbolic 3-space. Hence, this gives a counterexample to Calabi-Yau conjecture for embedded minimal surfaces in the negative curvature case.
We show that if P is an embedded least area (area minimizing) plane in hyperbolic 3-space whose asymptotic boundary is a simple closed curve with at least one smooth point, then P is properly embedded.
In this paper we study the moduli space of properly Alexandrov-embedded, minimal annuli in $\mathbb{H}^2 \times \mathbb{R}$ with horizontal ends. We say that the ends are horizontal when they are graphs of $\mathcal{C}^{2, α}$ functions over $\partial_\infty \mathbb{H}^2$. Contrary to expectation, we show that one can not fully prescribe the two boundary curves at infinity, but rather, one can prescribe the bottom curve, but the top curve only up to a translation and a tilt, along with the position of the neck and the vertical flux of the annulus. We also prove general existence theorems for m…
These notes outline recent developments in classical minimal surface theory that are essential in classifying the properly embedded minimal planar domains M in R^3 with infinite topology (equivalently, with an infinite number of ends). This final classification result by Meeks, Perez, and Ros states that such an M must be congruent to a homothetic scaling of one of the classical examples found by Riemann in 1860. These examples {\cal R}_s, 0<s<\infty, are defined in terms of the Weierstrass {\cal P}-functions {\cal P}_t on the rectangular elliptic curve {\C} / {< 1, t\sqrt{-1}>}, are singly-pe…
We prove that the ends of a properly immersed simply or one connected minimal surface in H(2)xR contained in a slab of height less than πof H(2)xR, are multi-graphs. When such a surface is embedded then the ends are graphs. When embedded and simply connected, it is an entire graph.
We show that for any simple closed curve in the sphere at infinity of a Gromov hyperbolic 3-space with cocompact metric, there exist a properly embedded least area plane in the space spanning the given curve. This gives a positive answer to a conjecture of Gabai. Soma has already proven this conjecture earlier. Our technique here is simpler and more general, and it can be applied to many similar settings.
In this paper we construct a properly embedded holomorphic disc in the unit ball $\mathbb{B}^2$ of $\mathbb{C}^2$ having a surprising combination of properties: on the one hand, it has finite area and hence is the zero set of a bounded holomorphic function on $\mathbb{B}^2$; on the other hand, its boundary curve is everywhere dense in the sphere $b\mathbb{B}^2$.
If $Y$ is a properly embedded minimal surface in a convex cocompact hyperbolic 3-manifold $M$ with boundary at infinity an embedded curve $γ$, then Graham and Witten showed how to define a renormalized area $\calA$ of $Y$ via Hadamard regularization. We study renormalized area as a functional on the space of all such minimal surfaces. This requires a closer examination of these moduli spaces; following White and Coskunuzer, we prove these are Banach manifolds and that the natural map taking $Y$ to $γ$ is Fredholm of index zero and proper, which leads to the existence of a $\ZZ$-valued degree t…
We prove there exists a compact embedded minimal surface in a complete finite volume hyperbolic $3$-manifold $\mathcal{N}$. We also obtain a least area, incompressible, properly embedded, finite topology, $2$-sided surface. We prove a properly embedded minimal surface of bounded curvature has finite topology. This determines its asymptotic behavior. Some rigidity theorems are obtained.
Suppose $M$ is a complete, embedded minimal surface in $\mathbb{R}^3$ with an infinite number of ends, finite genus and compact boundary. We prove that the simple limit ends of $M$ have properly embedded representatives with compact boundary, genus zero and with constrained geometry. We use this result to show that if $M$ has at least two simple limit ends, then $M$ has exactly two simple limit ends. Furthermore, we demonstrate that $M$ is properly embedded in $\mathbb{R}^3$ if and only if $M$ has at most two limit ends if and only if $M$ has a countable number of limit ends.
In this paper, we present a sufficient condition for finite Morse index of complete properly self-shrinkers. We prove that a complete properly embedded self-shrinker in $\mathbb{R}^{n+1}$ with finite asymptotically conical ends or asymptotically cylindrical ends must have finite Morse index. Moreover, as an application of this result, we show that a complete properly embedded self-shrinker in $\mathbb{R}^3$ with finite genus has finite Morse index.
In this paper we use min-max theory to study the existence free boundary minimal hypersurfaces (FBMHs) in compact manifolds with boundary $(M^{n+1}, \partial M, g)$, where $2\leq n\leq 6$. Under the assumption that $g$ is a local maximizer of the width of $M$ in its comformal class, and all embedded FBMHs in $M$ are properly embedded, we show the existence of a sequence of properly embedded equidistributed FBMHs. This work extends the result of Ambrozio-Montezuma [2].
We construct a one-parameter family of properly embedded minimal annuli in the Heisenberg group Nil_3 endowed with a left-invariant Riemannian metric. These annuli are not rotationally invariant. This family gives a vertical half-space theorem and proves that each complete minimal graph in Nil_3 is entire. Also, the sister surface of an entire minimal graph in Nil_3 is an entire constant mean curvature 1/2 graph in H^2 x R, and conversely. This gives a classification of all entire constant mean curvature 1/2 graphs in H^2 x R. Finally we construct properly embedded constant mean curvature 1/2 …
We study the embedded Calabi-Yau problem for complete embedded constant mean curvature surfaces of finite topology or of positive injectivity radius in a simply-connected three-dimensional Lie group X endowed with a left-invariant Riemannian metric. We first prove a half-space theorem for constant mean curvature surfaces. This half-space theorem applies to certain properly immersed constant mean curvature surfaces of X contained in the complements of normal R^2 subgroups F of X. In the case X is a unimodular Lie group, our results imply that every minimal surface in X-F that is properly immers…
This paper develops new tools for understanding surfaces with more than one end (and usually, of infinite topology) which properly minimally embed into Euclidean three-space. On such a surface, the set of ends forms a compact Hausdorff space, naturally ordered by the relative heights of the ends in space. One of our main results is that the middle ends of the surface have quadratic area growth, and are thus not limit ends. This implies, for instance, that the surface can have at most two limit ends (at the top and bottom of the ordering), which is a strong topological restriction. There are al…
Motivated by the large ammount of results obtained for minimal and positive constant mean curvature surfaces in several ambient spaces, the aim of this paper is to obtain half-space theorems for properly immersed surfaces in $\mathbb{R}^3$ whose mean curvature is given as a prescribed function of its Gauss map. In order to achieve this purpose, we will study the behavior at infinity of a 1-parameter family of properly embedded annuli that are analogous to the usual minimal catenoids.
Extending an example by Colding and Minicozzi, we construct a sequence of properly embedded minimal disks $Σ_i$ in an infinite Euclidean cylinder around the $x_3$-axis with curvature blow-up at a single point. The sequence converges to a non smooth and non proper minimal lamination in the cylinder. Moreover, we show that the disks $Σ_i$ are not properly embedded in a sequence of open subsets of $\mathbb{ R}^3$ that exhausts $\mathbb{ R}^3$.
In this paper, we improve a result by Chodosh and Ketover. We prove that, in an asymptotically flat $3$-manifold $M$ that contains no closed minimal surfaces, fixing $q\in M$ and a $2$-plane $V$ in $T_qM$ there is a properly embedded minimal plane $Σ$ in $M$ such that $q\inΣ$ and $T_qΣ=V$. We also prove that fixing three points in $M$ there is a properly embedded minimal plane passing through these three points.
There exists a properly embedded minimal surface of genus one with one end. The end is asymptotic to the end of the helicoid. This genus one helicoid is constructed as the limit of a continuous one-parameter family of screw-motion invariant minimal surfaces--also asymptotic to the helicoid--that have genus equal to one in the quotient.
For any prescribed closed subset of a line segment in Euclidean 3-space, we construct a sequence of minimal disks that are properly embedded in an open solid cylinder around the segment and that have curvatures blowing up precisely at the points of the closed set.
Let $(M,g)$ be an asymptotically flat $3$-manifold containing no closed embedded minimal surfaces. We prove that for every point $p\in M$ there exists a complete properly embedded minimal plane in $M$ containing $p$.
Given k>=2, we construct a (2k-2)-parameter family of properly embedded minimal surfaces in H^2 x R invariant by a vertical translation T, called Saddle Towers, which have total intrinsic curvature 4 pi(1-k), genus zero and 2k vertical Scherk-type ends in the quotient by T. As limits of those Saddle Towers, we obtain Jenkins-Serrin graphs over ideal polygonal domains (with total intrinsic curvature 2 pi(1-k)); we also get properly embedded minimal surfaces which are symmetric with respect to a horizontal slice and have total intrinsic curvature 4 pi(1-k), genus zero and k vertical planar ends.
We prove that any convex domain of C^2 carries properly embedded complete complex curves. In particular, we exhibit the first examples of complete bounded embedded complex curves in C^2
We study complete finite topology immersed surfaces $Σ$ in complete Riemannian $3$-manifolds $N$ with sectional curvature $K_N\leq -a^2\leq 0$, such that the absolute mean curvature function of $Σ$ is bounded from above by $a$ and its injectivity radius function is not bounded away from zero on each of its annular end representatives. We prove that such a surface $Σ$ must be proper in $N$ and its total curvature must be equal to $2πχ(Σ)$. If $N$ is a hyperbolic $3$-manifold of finite volume and $Σ$ is a properly immersed surface of finite topology with nonnegative constant mean curvature less …
Any sequence of properly embedded minimal disks in an open subset U of Euclidean 3-space has a subsequence such that the curvatures blow up on a relatively closed subset K of U and such that the disks converge in the complement of K to a minimal lamination of U\K. Assuming results of Colding-Minicozzi and an extension due to Meeks, we prove that such a blow-up set K must be contained in a C^1 embedded curve.
We prove that a properly embedded annular end of a surface in $\mathbb H^2\times\mathbb R$ with constant mean curvature $0<H\leq \frac{1}{2}$ can not be contained in any horizontal slab. Moreover, we show that a properly embedded surface with constant mean curvature $0<H\leq \frac{1}{2}$ contained in $\mathbb H^2\times[0,+\infty)$ and with finite topology is necessarily a graph over a simply connected domain of $\mathbb H^2$. For the case $H=\frac{1}{2}$, the graph is entire.
In this note we consider the Liouville type theorem for a properly immersed submanifold $M$ in a complete Riemmanian manifold $N$. Assume that the sectional curvature $K^N$ of $N$ satisfies $K^N\geq-L(1+dist_N(\cdot,q_0)^2)^\fracα{2}$ for some $L>0, 2>α\geq 0$ and $q_0\in N$. (i) If $Δ|\vec{H}|^{2p-2}\geq k|\vec{H}|^{2p}$($p>1$) for some constant $k>0$, then we prove that $M$ is minimal. (ii) Let $u$ be a smooth nonnegative function on $M$ satisfying $Δu\geq ku^a$ for some constant $k>0$ and $a>1$. If $|\vec{H}|\leq C(1+dist_N(\cdot,q_0)^2)^\fracβ{2}$ for some $C>0$, $0\leqβ<1$, then $u=0$ on …
We construct the first examples of complete, properly embedded minimal surfaces in $\mathbb{H}^2 \times \mathbb{R}$ with finite total curvature and positive genus. These are constructed by gluing copies of horizontal catenoids or other nondegenerate summands. We also establish that every horizontal catenoid is nondegenerate. Finally, using the same techniques, we are able to produce properly embedded minimal surfaces with infinitely many ends. Each annular end has finite total curvature and is asymptotic to a vertical totally geodesic plane.
We show that any minimizing hypercone can be perturbed into one side to a properly embedded smooth minimizing hypersurface in the Euclidean space, and every viscosity mean convex cone admits a properly embedded smooth mean convex self-expander asymptotic to it near infinity. These two together confirm a conjecture of Lawson \cite[Problem 5.7]{Brothers86_OpenProblems}.
Let $C\subset\mathbb{R}^{n+1}$ be a regular cone with vertex at the origin. In this paper, we show the uniqueness for smooth properly embedded self-shrinking ends in $\mathbb{R}^{n+1}$ that are asymptotic to $C$. As an application, we prove that not every regular cone with vertex at the origin has a smooth complete properly embedded self-shrinker asymptotic to it.
For every genus $g$, we prove that $S^2 \times R$ contains complete, properly embedded, genus-$g$ minimal surfaces whose two ends are asymptotic to helicoids of any prescribed pitch. We also show that as the radius of the $S^2$ tends to infinity, these examples converge smoothly to complete, properly embedded minimal surfaces in $R^3$ that are helicoidal at infinity. We prove that helicoidal surfaces in $R^3$ of every prescribed genus occur as such limits of examples in $S^2\times R$.
We employ min-max methods to construct uncountably many, geometrically distinct, properly embedded geodesic lines in any asymptotically conical surface of non-negative scalar curvature, a setting where minimization schemes are doomed to fail. Our construction provides control of the Morse index of the geodesic lines we produce, which will be always less or equal than one (with equality under suitable curvature or genericity assumptions), as well as of their precise asymptotic behaviour. In fact, we can prove that in any such surface for every couple of opposite half-lines there exists an embed…
In this paper we prove that the unit ball $\mathbb{B}$ of $\mathbb{C}^2$ admits complete properly embedded complex curves of any given topological type. Moreover, we provide examples containing any given closed discrete subset of $\mathbb{B}$.
For each $k\geq 3$, we construct a 1-parameter family of complete properly Alexandrov-embedded minimal surfaces in the Riemannian product space $\mathbb{H}^2\times\mathbb{R}$ with genus $1$ and $k$ embedded ends asymptotic to vertical planes. We also obtain complete minimal surfaces with genus $1$ and $2k$ ends in the quotient of $\mathbb{H}^2\times\mathbb{R}$ by an arbitrary vertical translation. They all have dihedral symmetry with respect to $k$ vertical planes, as well as finite total curvature $-4kπ$. Finally, we also provide examples of complete properly Alexandrov-embedded minimal surfa…
Examples of complete minimal surfaces properly embedded in H^2 x R have been extensively studied and the literature contains a plethora of nontrivial ones. In this paper we construct a large class of examples of complete minimal surfaces embedded in H^2 x R, not necessarily proper, which are invariant by a vertical translation or by a hyperbolic or parabolic screw motion. In particular, we construct a large family of non-proper complete minimal disks embedded in H^2 x R invariant by a vertical translation and a hyperbolic screw motion and whose importance is twofold. They have finite total cur…
This paper establishes geometric obstructions to the existence of complete, properly embedded, mean curvature flow self-translating solitons $Σ^n\subseteq \mathbb{R}^{n+1}$, generalizing previously known non-existence conditions such as cylindrical boundedness.
It is proved that the Heisenberg group $\operatorname*{Nil}\nolimits_{3}$ with a balanced metric, the sum of the left and right invariant metrics, splits as a Riemannian product $\mathbb{T\times Z}$, where $\mathbb{T}$ is a totally geodesic surface and $\mathbb{Z}$ the center of $\operatorname*{Nil}% \nolimits_{3}.$ It is then proved the existence of complete properly embedded minimal surfaces in $\operatorname*{Nil}\nolimits_{3}$ by solving the asymptotic Dirichlet problem for the minimal surface equation on $\mathbb{T}$. It is also proved the existence of complete properly embedded minimal s…
We prove that for each positive integer g, there exists a complete minimal surface of genus g that is properly embedded in three-dimensional euclidean space and that is asymptotic to the helicoid.
We describe a 3-parametric family $\mathcal{K}$ of properly embedded minimal tori with four parallel ends in quotients of $\mathbb{R}^3$ by two independent translations, which we will call the \textit{Standard Examples.} These surfaces generalize the examples given by Karcher, Meeks and Rosenberg in \cite{ka4,ka6,mr3}. $\mathcal{K}$ can be endowed with a natural structure of a self-conjugated 3-dimensional real analytic manifold diffeomorphic to $\mathbb{R}\times(\mathbb{R}^2-\{(\pm 1,0)\})$ whose degenerate limits are the catenoid, the helicoid, the simply and doubly periodic Scherk minimal s…
We prove the existence of nonperiodic, properly embedded minimal surfaces in $\mathbb{R}^2\times\mathbb{S}^1$ with genus zero, infinitely many ends and one limit end (in particular, they have infinite total curvature).
For any m > 0, we construct properly embedded minimal surfaces in H^2 x R with genus zero, infinitely many vertical planar ends and m limit ends. We also provide examples with an infinite countable number of limit ends. All these examples are vertical bi-graphs.
In this paper we deal with the uniqueness of the Lorentzian helicoid and Enneper's surface among properly embedded maximal surfaces with lightlike boundary of mirror symmetry in the Lorentz-Minkowski space L3.
In this paper we prove that a properly embedded constant mean curvature surface in $\mathbb{H}^2\times\mathbb{R}$ which has finite topology and stays at a finite distance from a vertical geodesic line is invariant by rotation around a vertical geodesic line.
