Algebraic approximation and the Mittag-Leffler theorem for minimal surfaces (Q2152583)

In the present paper, the authors prove Runge's theorem (Theorem 1.2, a special case of Theorem 6.1) for complete minimal surfaces with finite total curvature, which is an analogue of the Behnke-Stein and Royden theorem on approximation and interpolation for functions on compact Riemann surfaces. Theorem 1.2. Let \(\Sigma\) be a compact Riemann surface and \(\emptyset \ne E \subset \Sigma\) be a finite subset. Also let \(K \subset \Sigma\setminus E\) be a smoothly bounded Runge compact domain and let \(E_0\) and \(\Lambda\) be a pair of disjoint (possibly empty) finite sets in the interior of \(K.\) If \(X: K \setminus E_0 \rightarrow \mathbb R^n\) (\(n \geq 3\)) is a complete conformal minimal immersion with finite total curvature, then for any \(\varepsilon > 0\) and any integer \(r \geq 0\) there is a conformal minimal immersion \(Y : \Sigma \setminus (E \cup E_0) \rightarrow \mathbb R^n\) satisfying the following conditions: \begin{itemize} \item[(i)] \(Y\) is complete and has finite total curvature. \item[(ii)] \(Y - X\) extends harmonically to \(K\) and \(|Y - X|< \varepsilon\) on \(K.\) \item[(iii)] \(Y - X\) vanishes at least to order \(r\) at every point of \(E_0 \cup \Lambda.\) \end{itemize} Theorem 1.2 has already been proved for \(n =3\) in the special case \(\Lambda = \emptyset\) by \textit{F. J. López} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 366, No. 12, 6201--6227 (2014; Zbl 1304.53007)] and the case \(E_0 = \emptyset \) by \textit{A. Alarcón} et al. [Calc. Var. Partial Differ. Equ. 58, No. 1, Paper No. 21, 20 p. (2019; Zbl 1407.53007)]. The methods in both these papers rely on the spinor representation formula for minimal surfaces in \(\mathbb R^3,\) while the proof or Theorem 1.2 uses sprays generated by the flows of complete vector fields on the null-quadric \(\{(z_1,\ldots, z_n) \in \mathbb C^n\setminus 0: \, \sum_{j=1}^n z_j^2 = 0 \},\) and can therefore be applied to dimensions \(n \geq 3.\) As an application of Theorem 1.2, the authors also obtain the analogue of Mittag-Leffler theorem for minimal surfaces (Theorem 1.3). An interested reader may find more on this topic in the book [\textit{A. Alarcón} et al., Minimal surfaces from a complex analytic viewpoint. Cham: Springer (2021; Zbl 07332812)].