A theorem of Bernstein type for minimal surfaces in \(R^ 4\) (Q800647)

Let M be a minimal surface in \(R^ 4\) which is a graph of a function defined on the whole \(R^ 2\). The author proves that if M is stable, then M is either a plane or the graph of a holomorphic function or the graph of an antiholomorphic function with respect to a fixed identification \(R^ 2=C\). This result is proved by showing that the second variation for some compactly supported normal vector field on M is negative if M is not of one of the three types.