The theory of minimal surfaces in \(M\times \mathbb R\) (Q2577073)

The theory of surfaces in \(M\times\mathbb R\), where \(M\) is a \(2\)-dimensional Riemannian manifold of constant curvature \(k\neq0\), received recently a great impulse when it was realized that the spaces \(M\times\mathbb R\) are two examples of five 3-dimensional homogeneous manifolds that have a 4-dimensional group of isometries; after the simply-connected spaces of constant sectional curvature, they are the simplest ambient spaces where to treat the theory of surfaces. The present paper gives a complete introduction to the theory of properly embedded minimal surfaces \(\Sigma\) in \(M\times\mathbb R\), where \(M\) is a closed orientable Riemann surface and \(\Sigma\) is non-compact. It is shown, for instance, that the stable examples can be completely classified; and that if \(M\) has non-positive curvature, then \(M\) has finite index and the total curvature of \(\Sigma\) is \(2\pi\chi(M)\). There is a wealth of results in this paper with complete proofs and references.