Bernstein type theorems for higher codimension (Q1970222)

The first theorem in this paper is an improvement of a Bernstein type result in arbitrary codimension obtained by \textit{S. Hildebrandt, J. Jost}, and \textit{K.-O. Widman} [Invent. Math. 62, 269-298 (1980; Zbl 0446.58006)]. The precise statement is the following: let \(z^i =f^i(x^1,\ldots,x^n),\;i=1,\ldots,m\) be smooth functions defined everywhere in \(\mathbb R^n.\) Suppose their graph \(M= (x, f(x))\) is a submanifold with parallel mean curvature in \(\mathbb R^{m +n}.\) Suppose that there exists a number \(\beta_0\) with \[ \beta_0 < \begin{cases} 2,\quad & \text{when } m\geqslant 2,\\ \infty, & \text{when\;} m=1, \end{cases} \] such that \(\triangle_f \leqslant \beta_0\) for all \(x\in \mathbb R^n\), where \(\triangle_f(x) =\{\det (\delta_{\alpha\beta} + \sum_i f_{x_ \alpha}^i(x)f_{x_\beta}^i(x))\}^{1/2}\). Then \(f^1,\ldots,f^m\) are linear functions on \(\mathbb R^n\) representing an affine \(n\)-plane in \(\mathbb R^{n+m}\). Relatedly the authors also prove the following result: let \(M\) be an \(m\)-dimensional compact ``simple'' Riemannian manifold which is a minimal submanifold in \(\mathbb S^{m +n}.\) Suppose that there is a fixed oriented \(n\)-plane \(P_0\) and a number \(\gamma_0,\) \[ \gamma_0 >\begin{cases} \frac{1}{2}\quad& \text{if } \min (m, n)\geqslant 2,\\ 0\quad & \text{if } \min (m, n) =1;\end{cases} \] such that \(\langle P, P_0\rangle \geqslant \gamma_0\) holds for all normal \(n\)-planes of \(M\) in \(\mathbb S^{m +n}.\) Then \(M\) is contained in a totally geodesic subsphere of \(\mathbb S^{m+n}\).