Genus-one helicoids from a variational point of view (Q951965)

The authors prove, by variational methods, the existence of a complete, properly embedded, genus-one minimal surface in \(\mathbb R^3\) that is asymptotic to a helicoid at infinity. they also prove existence of minimal surfaces that are asymptotic to a helicoid away from the helicoid axis, but have infinitely many handles distributed periodically along the axis. Further properties of such helicoid-like minimal surfaces are prove. It is very difficult to do justice to this beautiful paper in a short review. In a previous paper [\textit{M. Weber, D. Hoffman} and \textit{M. Wolf}, ``An embedded genus-one helicoid'', to appear in Ann. Math.; cf. \url{arXiv:math/0401080}], proofs of existence and embeddedness of genus-one helicoids were given using the Weierstrass representation. This requires solution of period problems and a separate proof of embeddedness. In the present paper, a method is presented of realizing such examples as limits of compact, embedded, minimal surfaces. Period problems do not arise, and existence and embeddedness are obtained at the same time. Furthermore, the geometric behavior of the surfaces so constructed becomes clearer. The paper has a flavor of pure geometry, is very well written, and contains an appendix on existence of unstable minimal disks.