Abstract:
We prove two main theorems about equivariant minimal surfaces in an arbitrary nonpositively curved symmetric spaces extending classical results on minimal surfaces in Euclidean space. First, we show that a complete equivariant branched immersed minimal surface in a nonpositively curved symmetric space of finite total curvature must be of finite Morse index. It is a generalization of the theorem by Fischer-Colbrie, Gulliver-Lawson, and Nayatani for complete minimal surfaces in Euclidean space. Secondly, we show that a complete equivariant minimal surface in a nonpositively curved symmetric space is of finite total curvature if and only if it arises from a wild harmonic bundle over a compact Riemann surface with finite punctures. Moreover, we deduce the Jorge-Meeks type formula of the total curvature and show it is an integer multiple of $2\pi/N$ for $N$ only depending on the symmetric space. It is a generalization of the theorem by Chern-Osserman for complete minimal surfaces in Euclidean n-space. This is joint work with Takuro Mochizuki (RIMS).