Structure theorems for embedded disks with mean curvature bounded in L^P

After appropriate normalizations an embedded disk whose second fundamental form has large norm contains a multi-valued graph, provided the L^P norm of the mean curvature is sufficiently small. This generalizes to non-minimal surfaces a well known result of Colding and Minicozzi

Curvature estimates for minimal surfaces with total boundary curvature less than 4\pi

We establish a curvature estimate for classical minimal surfaces with total boundary curvature less than 4\pi. The main application is a bound on the genus of these surfaces depending solely on the geometry of the boundary curve. We also prove that the set of simple closed curves with total curvature less than 4\pi and which do not bound an orientable compact embedded minimal surface of genus greater than g, for any given g, is open in the C^{2,\alpha} topology.Comment: 7 page

Topological Type of Limit Laminations of Embedded Minimal Disks

We consider two natural classes of minimal laminations in three-manifolds. Both classes may be thought of as limits - in different senses - of embedded minimal disks. In both cases, we prove that, under a natural geometric assumption on the three-manifold, the leaves of these laminations are topologically either disks, annuli or Moebius bands. This answers a question posed by Hoffman and White.Comment: 21 pages. Published versio

Curvature estimates for surfaces with bounded mean curvature

Estimates for the norm of the second fundamental form, $|A|$, play a crucial role in studying the geometry of surfaces. In fact, when $|A|$ is bounded the surface cannot bend too sharply. In this paper we prove that for an embedded geodesic disk with bounded $L^2$ norm of $|A|$, $|A|$ is bounded at interior points, provided that the $W^{1,p}$ norm of its mean curvature is sufficiently small, $p>2$. In doing this we generalize some renowned estimates on $|A|$ for minimal surfaces.Comment: 17 pages, no figures, submitte

The rigidity of embedded constant mean curvature surfaces

We study the rigidity of complete, embedded constant mean curvature surfaces in R^3. Among other things, we prove that when such a surface has finite genus, then intrinsic isometries of the surface extend to isometries of R^3 or its isometry group contains an index two subgroup of isometries that extend.Comment: 10 page