The Gauss map of a complete minimal surface with finite total curvature

Abstract

In [15] Robert Osserman proved that the image of the Gauss map of a complete, non flat minimal surface in R^3 with finite total curvature miss at most 3 points. In this paper we prove that the Gauss map of such a minimal immersions omit at most 2 points. This is a sharp result since the Gauss map of the catenoid omits exactly two points. In fact we prove this result for a wider class of isometric immersions, that share the basic differential topological properties of the complete minimal surfaces of finite total curvature.