The Gauss map of minimal surfaces in the Heisenberg group

Abstract

We study the Gauss map of minimal surfaces in the Heisenberg group $\mathrm{Nil}_3$ endowed with a left-invariant Riemannian metric. We prove that the Gauss map of a nowhere vertical minimal surface is harmonic into the hyperbolic plane $\mathbb{H}^2$. Conversely, any nowhere antiholomorphic harmonic map into $\mathbb{H}^2$ is the Gauss map of a nowhere vertical minimal surface. Finally, we study the image of the Gauss map of complete nowhere vertical minimal surfaces.