Embedded minimal surfaces and total curvature of curves in a manifold (Q1429229)

In this paper the authors prove the following theorem: let \(M^n\) be an \(n\)-dimensional complete simply connected Riemannian manifold with sectional curvature bounded above by a nonpositive constant \(- \chi^2\), then every branched minimal surfaces in \(M^n\) bounded by a smooth Jordan curve \(\Gamma\) is embedded, provided that the total curvature of \(\Gamma\) is \(\leq 4\pi + \chi^2 \inf_{p\in M}\text{ Area}(p \times \Gamma)\), where \(p \times\Gamma\) is the geodesic cone over \(\gamma\) with vertex at \(p\). The following result is a consequence of this: A Jordan curve \(\Gamma\) in \(M^3\) with total curvature \(\leq 4\pi + \chi^2 \inf_{p\in M}\text{Area}(p \times \Gamma)\) is unknotted. Moreover, the authors prove that in the hemisphere \({\mathbf S}^n_+\) any minimal surface whose boundary curve has total curvature \(\leq 4\pi - \sup_{p\in {\mathbf S}^+_n }\text{ Area}(p \times \Gamma)\) is unknotted.