The ends of a complete embedded minimal surface of {\em finite total curvature} are well understood (every such end is asymptotic to a catenoid or to a plane). We give a similar characterization for a large class of ends of {\em infinite total curvature}, showing that each such end is asymptotic to a helicoid. The result applies, in particular, to the genus one helicoid and implies that it is embedded outside of a compact set in ${\mathbb R}^3$.
In this paper we describe a new deformation that connects minimal disks with planar ends with minimal disks with helicoidal ends. In this way, we are able to construct a family of complete minimal surfaces with helicoidal ends that contains the singly periodic genus one helicoid of Hoffman, Karcher and Wei.
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.
In this note, we use the Lopez-Ros deformation introduced in [9] to show that any embedded genus-one helicoid must be symmetric with respect to rotation by 180 degrees around a normal line. This partially answers a conjecture of Bobenko from [3]. We also show this symmetry holds for an embedded genus-k helicoid $Σ$, provided the underlying conformal structure of $Σ$ is hyperelliptic.
We consider families of embedded, screw motion invariant minimal surfaces in $\R^3$ which limit to parking garage structures. We derive balance equations for the nodal limit and regenerate to obtain surfaces corresponding to solutions. We thus prove the existence of many new examples with helicoidal or planar ends.
We prove that if a complete, properly embedded, finite-topology minimal surface in S^2 x R contains a line, then its ends are asymptotic to helicoids, and that if the surface is an annulus, it must be a helicoid.
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 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.
There exist two new embedded minimal surfaces, asymptotic to the helicoid. One is periodic, with quotient (by orientation-preserving translations) of genus one. The other is nonperiodic of genus one.
We show that an embedded minimal disk in R^3 with large curvature is bilipschitz with a piece of a helicoid. Additionally, a simplified proof of the uniqueness of the helicoid is provided.
Using the lamination theory developed by Colding and Minicozzi for sequences of embedded, finite genus minimal surfaces with boundaries going to infinity \cite{CM5}, we show that the space of genus-one helicoids is compact (modulo rigid motions and homotheties). This generalizes a result of Hoffman and White \cite{HW}.
The class of traveling wave solutions of the sine-Gordon equation is known to be in 1-1 correspondence with the class of (necessarily singular) pseudospherical surfaces in Euclidean space with screw-motion symmetry: the pseudospherical helicoids. We explicitly describe all pseudospherical helicoids in terms of elliptic functions. This solves a problem posed by Popov [Lobachevsky geometry and modern nonlinear problems, Birkhäuser/Springer, Cham, 2014]. As an application, countably many continuous families of topologically embedded pseudospherical helicoids are constructed. A (singular) pseudosp…
Colding and Minicozzi have shown that an embedded minimal disk $0\inΣ\subset B_R$ in $\Real^3$ with large curvature at 0 looks like a helicoid on the scale of $R$. Near 0, this can be sharpened: on the scale of $|A|^{-1}(0)$, $Σ$ is close, in a Lipschitz sense, to a piece of a helicoid. We use surfaces constructed by Colding and Minicozzi to see this description cannot hold on the scale $R$.
We construct helicoid-like embedded minimal disks with axes along self-similar curves modeled on logarithmic spirals. The surfaces have a self-similarity inherited from the curves and the nature of the construction. Moreover, inside of a "logarithmic cone", the surfaces are embedded.
We prove by variational means the existence of a complete, properly embedded, genus-one minimal surface in R^3 that is asymptotic to a helicoid at infinity. We also prove existence of surfaces that are asymptotic to a helicoid away from the helicoid's axis, but that have infinitely many handles arranged periodically along the axis. Finally, we prove some new properties of such helicoid-like surfaces.
We prove: a properly embedded, genus-one minimal surface that is asymptotic to a helicoid and that contains two straight lines must intersect that helicoid precisely in those two lines. In particular, the two lines divide the surface into two connected components that lie on either side of the helicoid. We prove an analogous result for periodic helicoid-like surfaces. We also give a simple condition guaranteeing that an immersed minimal surface with finite genus and bounded curvature is asymptotic to a helicoid at infinity.
We show that there exists a metric with positive scalar curvature on S2xS1 and a sequence of embedded minimal cylinders that converges to a minimal lamination that, in a neighborhood of a strictly stable 2-sphere, is smooth except at two helicoid-like singularities on the 2-sphere. The construction is inspired by a recent example by D. Hoffman and B. White.
Let $\mathcal{K}$ be the space of properly embedded minimal tori in quotients of $\R^3$ by two independent translations, with any fixed (even) number of parallel ends. After an appropriate normalization, we prove that $\mathcal{K}$ is a 3-dimensional real analytic manifold that reduces to the finite coverings of the examples defined by Karcher, Meeks and Rosenberg in \cite{ka4,ka6,mr3}. The degenerate limits of surfaces in $\mathcal{K}$ are the catenoid, the helicoid and three 1-parameter families of surfaces: the simply and doubly periodic Scherk minimal surfaces and the Riemann minimal examp…
We construct Colding-Minicozzi limit minimal laminations in open domains in $\rth$ with the singular set of $C^1$-convergence being any properly embedded $C^{1,1}$-curve. By Meeks' $C^{1,1}$-regularity theorem, the singular set of convergence of a Colding-Minicozzi limit minimal lamination ${\cal L}$ is a locally finite collection $S({\cal L})$ of $C^{1,1}$-curves that are orthogonal to the leaves of the lamination. Thus, our existence theorem gives a complete answer as to which curves appear as the singular set of a Colding-Minicozzi limit minimal lamination. In the case the curve is the unit…
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 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 discuss complete minimal immersions in $\mathbb{R}^N$($N\geq4$) with finite total curvature and embedded planar ends. First, we prove nonexistence for the following cases: (1) genus 1 with 2 embedded planar ends, (2) genus $\neq4$, hyperelliptic with 2 embedded planar ends like the Lagrangian catenoid. Then we show the existence of embedded minimal spheres in $\mathbb{R}^4$ with 3 embedded planar ends. Moreover, we construct genus $g$ examples in $\mathbb{R}^4$ with $d$ embedded planar ends such that $g\geq 1$ and $g+2\leq d\leq 2g+1$. These examples include a family of embed…
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 1841, Delaunay constructed the embedded surfaces of revolution with constant mean curvature (CMC); these unduloids have genus zero and are now known to be the only embedded CMC surfaces with two ends and finite genus. Here, we construct the complete family of embedded CMC surfaces with three ends and genus zero; they are classified using their asymptotic necksizes. We work in a class slightly more general than embedded surfaces, namely immersed surfaces which bound an immersed three-manifold, as introduced by Alexandrov.
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…
We compute the flux of Killing fields through ends of constant mean curvature 1 in hyperbolic space, and we prove a result conjectured by Rossman, Umehara and Yamada : the flux matrix they have defined is equivalent to the flux of Killing fields. We next give a geometric description of embedded ends of finite total curvature. In particular, we show that we can define an axis for these ends that are asymptotic to a catenoid cousin. We also compute the flux of Killing fields through these ends, and we deduce some geometric properties and some analogies with minimal surfaces in Euclidean space.
We construct three kinds of complete embedded minimal surfaces in $\Bbb H^2\times \Bbb R$. The first is a simply connected, singly periodic, infinite total curvature surface. The second is an annular finite total curvature surface. These two are conjugate surfaces just as the helicoid and the catenoid are in $\mathbb R^3$. The third one is a finite total curvature surface which is conformal to $\mathbb S^2\setminus\{p_1,...,p_k\}, k\geq3.$
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…
The family of embedded, singly periodic minimal surfaces of Riemann have as limit-surfaces the helicoid, the catenoid, a single plane, or an infinite set of equally-spaced parallel planes.
In this paper, we show that a complete embedded minimal surface in $\Real^3$ with finite topology and one end is conformal to a once-punctured compact Riemann surface. Moreover, using the conformality and embeddedness, we examine the Weierstrass data and conclude that every such surface has Weierstrass data asymptotic to that of the helicoid. More precisely, if $g$ is the stereographic projection of the Gauss map, then in a neighborhood of the puncture, $g(p) = \exp(iαz(p) + F(p))$, where $α\in \Real$, $z=x_3+ix_3^*$ is a holomorphic coordinate defined in this neighborhood and $F(p)$ is holomo…
Minimal surfaces with uniform curvature (or area) bounds have been well understood and the regularity theory is complete, yet essentially nothing was known without such bounds. We discuss here the theory of embedded (i.e., without self-intersections) minimal surfaces in Euclidean 3-space without a priori bounds. The study is divided into three cases, depending on the topology of the surface. Case one is where the surface is a disk, in case two the surface is a planar domain (genus zero), and the third case is that of finite (non-zero) genus. The complete understanding of the disk case is appli…
Embedded minimal surfaces of finite total curvature in $\mathbb{R}^3$ are reasonably well understood: From far away, they look like intersecting catenoids and planes, suitably desingularized. We consider the larger class of harmonic embeddings in $\mathbb{R}^{3}$ of compact Riemann surfaces with finitely many punctures where the harmonic coordinate functions are given as real parts of meromorphic functions. This paper is motivated by two outstanding features of such surfaces: They can have highly complicated ends, and they still have total Gauss curvature being a multiple of $2π$. This poses t…
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.
Bryant \cite{Bryant84} classified all Willmore spheres in $3$-space to be given by minimal surfaces in $\mathbb R^3$ with embedded planar ends. This note provides new explicit formulas for genus 0 minimal surfaces in $\mathbb R^3$ with $2k+1$ embedded planar ends for all $k\geq4.$ Peng and Xiao claimed these examples to exist in \cite{PengXiao2000}, but in the same paper they also claimed the existence of a minimal surface with 7 embedded planar ends, which was falsified by Bryant \cite{Bryant88}.
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).
We announce the classification of complete, almost embedded surfaces of constant mean curvature, with three ends and genus zero: they are classified by triples of points on the sphere whose distances are the asymptotic necksizes of the three ends.
We give necessary conditions on complete embedded \cmc surfaces with three or four ends subject to reflection symmetries. The respective submoduli spaces are two-dimensional varieties in the moduli spaces of general \cmc surfaces. We characterize fundamental domains of our \cmc surfaces by associated great circle polygons in the three-sphere.
In this paper, we use the conjugate surface construction to prove the existence of certain non-periodic symmetric immersed minimal surfaces. These surfaces have finite total curvature and embedded catenoid ends, and they have positive genus yet maintain the symmetry of their genus-zero counterparts constructed by Jorge-Meeks and Xu.
In this paper we construct an example of a complete immersed minimal surface in $\mathbb{R}^3$ of genus one with two embedded catenoid-type ends, one Enneper-type end and total Gauss curvature $-16π.$ The proof of the existence of this example, was obtained using the Weierstrass representation, the theory of elliptic functions and explicitly solving the period problem.
We present a new construction of embedded minimal surfaces in hyperbolic space with $3$ asymptotically totally geodesic ends and arbitrary finite genus.
The Weierstrass representation for minimal surfaces in $\mathbb{R}^3$ provides a flexible method for constructing minimal surfaces of arbitrary genus. The topological limitations of minimal surfaces interfere with this providing a more general geometric modeling tool. Minimal surfaces lie in the larger class of harmonic surfaces, which in general don't have the same topological limitations of minimal surfaces and can have complicated embedded ends. In this paper we demonstrate the flexibility of using the Weierstrass representation for harmonic surfaces to combine embedded harmonic ends togeth…
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…
We combine the DPW method and Opening Nodes to construct embedded surfaces of positive constant mean curvature with Delaunay ends in euclidean space, with no limitation to the genus or number of ends.
We combine the DPW method and opening nodes to construct embedded surfaces of positive constant mean curvature with Delaunay ends in euclidean space, with no limitation to the genus or number of ends.
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.
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…
The generalized Weierstrass representation is used to analyze the asymptotic behavior of a constant mean curvature surface that arises locally from an ordinary differential equation with a regular singularity. We prove that a holomorphic perturbation of an ODE that represents a Delaunay surface generates a constant mean curvature surface which has a properly immersed end that is asymptotically Delaunay. Furthermore, that end is embedded if the Delaunay surface is unduloidal.
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 study Alexandrov-embedded r-noids with genus 1 and horizontal ends. Such minimal surfaces are of two types and we build several examples of the first one. We prove that if a polygon bounds an immersed polygonal disk, it is the flux polygon of an r-noid with genus 1 of the first type. We also study the case of polygons which are invariant under a rotation. The construction of these surfaces is based on the resolution of the Dirichlet problem for the minimal surface equation on an unbounded domain.
We give a positive answer to M. Traizet's open question about the existence of complete embedded minimal surfaces with Scherk-ends without planar geodesics. In the singly periodic case, these examples get close to an extension of Traizet's result concerning asymmetric complete minimal submanifolds of Euclidean space with finite total curvature.
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.
We consider constant mean curvature 1 surfaces in $\mathbb{R}^3$ arising via the DPW method from a holomorphic perturbation of the standard Delaunay potential on the punctured disk. Kilian, Rossman and Schmitt have proven that such a surface is asymptotic to a Delaunay surface. We consider families of such potentials parametrised by the necksize of the model Delaunay surface and prove the existence of a uniform disk on which the surfaces are close to the model Delaunay surface and are embedded in the unduloid case.
We consider the question of existence of embedded doubly periodic minimal surfaces in Euclidean 3-space with Scherk-type ends, surfaces that topologically are Scherk's doubly periodic surface with handles added in various ways. We extend the existence results of H. Karcher and F. Wei to more cases, and we find other cases where existence does not hold.
We study constant mean curvature 1/2 surfaces in H2xR that admit a compactification of the mean curvature operator. We show that a particular family of complete entire graphs over H2 admits a structure of infinite dimensional manifold with local control on the behaviors at infinity. These graphs also appear to have a half-space property and we deduce a uniqueness result at infinity. Deforming non degenerate constant mean curvature 1/2 annuli, we provide a large class of (non rotational) examples and construct (possibly embedded) annuli without axis, i.e. with two vertical, asymptotically rotat…
We prove that for every nonnegative integer $g$, there exists a bound on the number of ends of a complete, embedded minimal surface $M$ in $\mathbb{R}^3$ of genus $g$ and finite topology. This bound on the finite number of ends when $M$ has at least two ends implies that $M$ has finite stability index which is bounded by a constant that only depends on its genus.
