On the Morse index of complete minimal surfaces in Euclidean space (Q917041)

Let M be a minimal surface in \(R^ n\). The index of M is the supremum of the indices of the Jacobi operator on relatively compact domains in \textit{M. Fischer-Colbrie} [Invent. Math. 82, 121-132 (1985; Zbl 0573.53038)], \textit{R. Gulliver} and \textit{H. B. Lawson jun.} [Geometric measure theory and the calculus of variations, Proc. Summer Inst., Arcata/Calif. 1984, Proc. Symp. Pure Math. 44, 213-237 (1986; Zbl 0592.53005)] proved that a complete oriented minimal surface in \(R^ 3\) has finite index if and only if it has finite total curvature. In the present paper, it is shown that a complete minimal surface in \(R^ n\) with finite total curvature has finite index. When \(n=4\), the author proves the converse: Let M be a complete oriented minimal surface in \(R^ 4\) and conformally equivalent to a compact Riemann surface with finitely many punctures. Suppose that M has finite index and that the Gauss map of M is degenerate. Then M is of finite total curvature or a holomorphic curve with respect to some orthogonal complex structure on \(R^ 4\).