Eigenvalue estimates with applications to minimal surfaces (Q1077028)

We study eigenvalue estimates of branched Riemannian coverings of compact manifolds. We prove that if \(\phi\) : \(M^ n\to N^ n\), is a branched Riemannian covering, and \(\{\mu_ i\}^{\infty}_{i=0}\) and \(\{\lambda_ i\}^{\infty}_{i=0}\) are the eigenvalues of the Laplace- Beltrami operator on M and N, respectively, then \[ \sum^{\infty}_{i=0}e^{-\mu_ it}\leq k\sum^{\infty}_{i=0}e^{- \lambda_ it}, \] for all positive t, where k is the number of sheets of the covering. As one application of this estimate we show that the index of a minimal oriented surface in \({\mathbb{R}}^ 3\) is bounded by a constant multiple of the total curvature. Another consequence of our estimate is that the index of a closed oriented minimal surface in a flat three- dimensional torus is bounded by a constant multiple of the degree of the Gauss map.