On \(H=1/2\) surfaces in \(\widetilde{\mathrm{PSL}}_2(\mathbb R,\tau)\) (Q902232)

In [Invent. Math. 101, No. 2, 373--377 (1990; Zbl 0722.53054)] \textit{D. Hoffman} and \textit{W. H. Meeks III} proved that any properly immersed minimal surface in \(\mathbb R^3\) that lies in a half-space must be a plane. In [Commun. Anal. Geom. 16, No. 5, 989--1005 (2008; Zbl 1166.53041)] \textit{L. Hauswirth} et al. generalized the Hoffman-Meeks half-space theorem to constant mean curvature (CMC) surfaces with \(H=1/2\) and properly embedded in \(\mathbb H^2 \times \mathbb R\). In the paper under review the author extends the result of Hauswirth-Rosenberg-Spruck for CMC with \(H = 1/2\) surfaces properly embedded in \(\widetilde{\mathrm{PSL}}_2(\mathbb R, \tau)\). \(\widetilde{\mathrm{PSL}}_2(\mathbb R, \tau)\) is a Riemannian fibration over \(\mathbb H^2\) with a 4-dimensional isometry group and with curvature of the fiber equal to \(\tau\). In particular, \(\widetilde{\mathrm{PSL}}_2(\mathbb R, 0) = \mathbb H^2 \times \mathbb R\). A \textit{horocylinder} in \(\widetilde{\mathrm{PSL}}_2(\mathbb R, \tau)\) is the inverse image \(\pi^{-1}(h)\) of a horocycle \( h \subset \mathbb H^2\) under the canonical submersion \(\pi : \widetilde{\mathrm{PSL}}_2(\mathbb R, \tau) \to \mathbb H^2\). A surface \(\Sigma\) is said to be \textit{asymptotic} to a complete horocylinder \(C\) in \(\widetilde{\mathrm{PSL}}_2(\mathbb R, \tau)\) if \(\Sigma\) contains an open subset \(U\) (with \(U \cap C = \emptyset\)) such that for any \(\epsilon > 0\) there exists a compact set \(K \subset U\) such that the set \(U-K\) lies at distance at most \(\epsilon\) from \(C\). The main result of the paper under review is the following theorem: let \(\Sigma\) be a properly embedded CMC surface in \(\widetilde{\mathrm{PSL}}_2(\mathbb R, \tau)\) with \(H = 1/2\). Suppose that \(\Sigma\) is asymptotic to a horocylinder \(C\) and lies on the one side of it. If the mean curvature vector of \(\Sigma\) has the same direction as that of \(C\) at points of \(\Sigma\) converging to \(C\), then \(\Sigma\) is equal to \(C\). As a corollary of the main theorem, the author derives a characterization of entire vertical CMC (with \(H = 1/2\)) graphs in \(\widetilde{\mathrm{PSL}}_2(\mathbb R, \tau)\).