The Classification of Complete Minimal Surfaces with Total Curvature Greater Than -12&#960 (Q4032441)

The classification of complete minimal surfaces with finite total curvature \(C\) in \(\mathbb{R}^ 3\) is an important problem in classical differential geometry. Osserman and Voss characterized the catenoid and Enneper surface as the unique orientable minimal surface with \(C = - 4\pi\). The next step was done by W. H. Meeks, who gave the classification of nonorientable surfaces with \(C > -8\pi\). In the present paper the author takes a further step. He proves that the surface constructed by C. C. Chen and the reviewer in 1980 is the only genus one orientable minimal surface with \(C = -8\pi\). With this uniqueness theorem the classification of orientable surfaces with \(C > -12\pi\) was possible. A geometric consequence is the following result: If the Gauß map \(g\) of an orientable minimal surface \(M\) takes on five distinct values at most once, then \(M\) is one of the following surfaces: the plane, the catenoid, Enneper surface, a surface of trinoid type or the surface of Chen and the reviewer. The above mentioned uniqueness theorem was proved independently by D. Bloß with different techniques.