Half-space theorems for minimal surfaces in \(\mathrm{Nil}_3\) and \(\mathrm{Sol}_3\) (Q661931)

The authors prove some half-space theorems for minimal surfaces, in the sense of \textit{D. Hoffman} and \textit{W. H. Meeks III} [Invent. Math. 101, No. 2, 373--377 (1990; Zbl 0722.53054)], in the Heisenberg group Nil\(_3\) and the Lie group Sol\(_3\) endowed with their standard left-invariant Riemannian metrics. The authors are concerned with the following theorems: Theorem 1.4. Let \(\mathcal{S}\) be a properly immersed minimal surface in Nil\(_3\). If \(\mathcal{S}\) lies on one side of some entire minimal graph \(\mathcal{G}\), then \(\mathcal{S}\) is the image of \(\mathcal{G}\) by a vertical translation. Its original version is a result given in [\textit{P. Collin} and \textit{R. Krust}, Bull. Soc. Math. Fr. 119, No. 4, 443--462 (1991; Zbl 0754.53013)]. Here, the authors give another proof. The Lie group admits a Riemannian submersion \(\psi:\text{Sol}_3\to \mathbb{R}\) such that, for any \(s\in \mathbb{R}\), the surface \(\mathcal{E}^s=\psi^{-1}(s)\) is minimal, stable and isometric to \(\mathbb{R}^2\) -- these surfaces are called special planes. Theorem 1.5. Let \(\mathcal{S}\) be a properly immersed minimal surface in Sol\(_3\). If \(\mathcal{S}\) lies on one side of some special plane \(\mathcal{E}^t(t\in \mathbb{R})\), then \(\mathcal{S}\) is the special plane \(\mathcal{E}^u\) for some \(u\in \mathbb{R}\).