A characterization of the periodic Callahan-Hoffman-Meeks surfaces in terms of their symmetries (Q1373181)

Examples of complete embedded minimal surfaces \(M_k\), for each integer \(k>0\), in \(\mathbb{R}^3\), with an infinite number of ends such that \(M_k\) modulo a cyclic group of translations \({\mathfrak {F}}\) has genus \(2k+1\) and two ends, were constructed by \textit{M. Callahan, D. Hoffman} and \textit{W. H. Meeks III} [Invent. Math. 96, 459-505 (1989; Zbl 0676.53004); ibid. 99, 455-481 (1990; Zbl 0695.53005)]. In the paper under review, the authors study in depth the Callahan-Hoffman-Meeks surfaces \(M_k\). More precisely, their main result is the following interesting Theorem. Let \(\widetilde M\) be a properly embedded minimal surface in \({\mathbb{R}}^3\) satisfying the following: (i) \(\widetilde M\) has an infinite number of annular ends; (ii) \(\widetilde M\) is invariant under a cyclic group of translations \({\mathfrak {F}}\); (iii) \(\widetilde M/{\mathfrak {F}}\) has genus \(\rho, \rho\geq 2,\) and two ends; (iv) Iso(\(\widetilde M/{\mathfrak {F}}\)) has at least \(4(\rho + 1)\) elements. Then \(\rho \) is odd and \(\widetilde M\) is the Callahan-Hoffman-Meeks example of genus \(\rho \). To obtain this result, the authors first describe explicitly the Weierstrass representation of a surface satisfying (i)-(iv) and then give a new interesting approach to the unique solution of the period problem for these surfaces. This fact was conjectured by Callahan, Hoffman and Meeks in the above mentioned papers.