Associate harmonic immersions in 3-space (Q2276763)

Let Z: (S,g)\(\to E^{3,j}\), \(j=0,1\), be a harmonic immersion of a surface S with prescribed metric g into the Euclidean \((j=0)\) or Minkowski \((j=1)\) 3-space. If g is definite, the associate immersion \(Z_{\theta}: (D,g)\to E^{3,j},\quad \theta \in {\mathbb{R}},\) of a domain \(D\subset S\) with isothermal coordinate \(z=x+iy\) is defined by \(Z_{\theta}=Re e^{i\theta}\int^{z}_{z_ 0}\phi dz+C,\) \(C=text{constant}\) vector, with \(Z_ 0=Z\) and \(\phi =2Z_ z\) holomorphic (by harmonicity; \(Z_{z\bar z}=0)\). For g indefinite, the associate immersion \(Z_ c: (D,g)\to E^{3,j},\) \(c>0\), of a domain \(D\subset S\) with null coordinate \(x=x+iy\) is given by \(Z_ c(x,y)=cX(x)+Y(y)/c,\) with \(Z_ 1=Z\) (implied by \(Z_{xy}=0)\). The main result of the author is to show that if Z is entire over a plane, i.e. if Z(S) is the graph of a \(C^{\infty}\) real valued function over some whole plane then the associate immersions are globally defined on S and are entire over the same plane. When g is definite the argument applies Bers' proof of Bernstein's theorem. The case when g is indefinite is more subtle and the proof is based on the use of global coordinates provided by the Hilbert-Holmgren theorem for harmonic maps proved by the author in [Contemp. Math. 64, 123-132 (1987; Zbl 0609.53004)].