On the total curvature of minimal annuli in $R^3$ and Nitsche's conjecture

Abstract

We present a proof of the generalized Nitsche's conjecture proposed by W.H.Meeks III and H. Rosenberg: For $t\ge 0$, let $P_t$ denote the horizontal plane of height $t$ over the $x_1,x_2$ plane. Suppose that $M \subset R^3$ is a minimal annulus with the boundary contains in $P_0$ and that $M$ intersects every $P_t$ in a simple closed curve. Then $M$ has finite total curvature. As a consequence, we show that every properly embedded minimal surface of finite topology in $R^3$ with more than one end has finite total curvature.