Total curvature of complete submanifolds of Euclidean space (Q2571471)

The first part of the paper provides a detailed survey of numerous intrinsic and extrinsic generalizations of the well-known classical Gauss-Bonnet formula and Cohn-Vossen inequality. Recall that if \((M,g)\) is a complete Riemannian two-manifold of finite topological type and with absolutely integrable Gauss curvature \(K\), then the following inequality holds: \[ 2\pi\chi (M) - \int_M K \,dA \geq 0. \] Various ways to analyze the curvature defect \(\delta = 2\pi\chi (M) - \int_M K \,dA\) are discussed. In particular, the authors apply an idea by P. Wintgen to estimate an extrinsic analogue of \(\delta\) for an \(n\)-dimensional complete Riemannian manifold \(M\) by means of the set of \textsl{limit directions} of \(M\), when \(M\) is isometrically immersed into \(\mathbb R^{m+1}\) [cf. \textit{P. Wintgen}, Ann. Global Anal. Geom. 2, 55--87 (1984; Zbl 0553.53033)]. Actually they propose an original explicit expression for the difference between the Euler characteristic and the total curvature of a complete \(n\)-dimensional submanifold \(M^n\subset \mathbb R^{m+1}\) with finitely many cone-like ends. As consequence, it is demonstrated that the curvature defect \(\delta\) may be positive, zero, or negative, depending on the asymptotic shape of the ends, if \(n>2\). Besides, some particular classes of submanifolds with cone-like ends which satisfy the generalized Cohn-Vossen inequality are distinguished. On the other hand, the authors construct an explicit example of a four-dimensional submanifold in \(\mathbb R^5\) with negative curvature defect. The obtained expression is also applied in the second part of the paper to prove some results about the quantization of the total curvature for some particular complete open four-dimensional submanifolds with cone-like ends in \(\mathbb R^5\).