Minimal hypersurfaces with zero Gauss-Kronecker curvature (Q2567515)

Starting with a complete minimal surface in \(\mathbb R^3\) and erecting the cylinder over that surface as a hypersurface in \(\mathbb R^4\), one clearly gets a complete minimal hypersurface in \(\mathbb R^4\) with Gauss-Kronecker curvature identically zero. Such hypersurfaces can have distinct principle curvatures and can have scalar curvature either bounded or not bounded from below, depending on the choice of starting minimal surface in \(\mathbb R^3\). The purpose of this article is to solve the converse problem. In particular, the following is shown: Any complete oriented minimal hypersurface with Gauss-Kronecker curvature identically zero and nowhere vanishing second fundamental form and scalar curvature bounded from below is a cylinder over a minimal surface in \(\mathbb R^3\). The authors put this result in context by describing its relations to rigidity results of Beez-Killing and Dajczer-Gromoll. They also strengthen a result of Q.-M. Cheng to the following: An oriented minimal complete hypersurface in \(\mathbb R^4\) with constant Gauss-Kronecker curvature must in fact have Gauss-Kronecker curvature identically zero, without any assumptions on the scalar curvature.