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The isothermal coordinates $(u,v)$ give the immersion $(u-u^3/3+u{v}^2,v-v^3/3+u^{2}v,u^2-v^2)$. Its coordinate functions are harmonic and its metric is $(1+u^2+v^2{)}^2(d{u}^2+d{v}^2)$, so it is a complete immersed minimal surface with self-intersections.

The null condition follows by expansion:It vanishes exactly when $E=G$ and $F=0$; the immersion hypothesis ensures their common value is positive. Thus it characterizes isothermal coordinates for an immersion.

With complex coordinate $\zeta =u+iv$, mixed derivatives commute andand similarly for $y,z$. By the Cauchy-Riemann equations, each ${\phi }_j$ is holomorphic exactly when the corresponding coordinate is harmonic. Combining with the preceding part gives an isothermal immersion is minimal exactly when all three ${\phi }_j$ are holomorphic. Without immersion the null condition could also describe a degenerate map, so the nondegeneracy hypothesis matters.

An isothermal parametrization is an immersion with first fundamental form $Ed{u}^2+2Fdudv+Gd{v}^2={\lambda }^2(d{u}^2+d{v}^2)$, where $\lambda >0$. Thus $E=G={\lambda }^2$ and $F=0$.

Write $W={\varphi }_{uu}+{\varphi }_{vv}$. Differentiating the metric identities givesFor example ${\varphi }_{vv}\cdot {\varphi }_u=({\varphi }_v\cdot {\varphi }_u{)}_v-{\varphi }_v\cdot {\varphi }_{uv}=-G_u/2$; the other identities are analogous. Hence $W$ is normal to the surface. For a unit normal $N$, its normal component is $e+g$. The supplied mean curvature formula reduces to $H=(e+g)/(2{\lambda }^2)$. ThereforeA surface is a minimal surface when its mean curvature vector vanishes. Since ${\lambda }^2>0$, the preceding identity proves minimality is equivalent to $\Delta \varphi =0$ in isothermal coordinates.

At a non-planar point of a minimal surface, the shape operator is not zero. Minimality gives nonzero opposite principal curvatures, so $K<0$ nearby and $dN$ is invertible. The inverse function theorem makes the Gauss map a local diffeomorphism onto a patch of the sphere; part (ii) makes it conformal.

Choose stereographic coordinates $(u,v)$ on that sphere patch. Their metric is $4(d{u}^2+d{v}^2)/(1+u^2+v^2{)}^2$. Pulling them back by $N$, the conformal identity $N^{\ast }{g}_{S^2}=\lambda g_S$ givesThe positive coefficient shows that these are local isothermal coordinates. No general isothermal-coordinate existence theorem is needed: the nondegenerate conformal Gauss map supplies them explicitly.

An immersion $\varphi :U\to {\mathbb{R}}^3$ has differential of rank $2$, equivalently linearly independent ${\varphi }_u,{\varphi }_v$. It has isothermal coordinates when its first fundamental form has $E=G>0$, $F=0$. A minimal surface has zero mean curvature.

For an isothermal immersion, differentiation of $E=G$ and $F=0$ givesand similarly its scalar product with ${\varphi }_v$ is zero. Its normal component is $e+g$. The given mean curvature formula reduces to $H=(e+g)/(2E)$, soThus an isothermal immersion is minimal exactly when each coordinate is a harmonic function.

An explicit example is the Enneper surface, parametrized on ${\mathbb{R}}^2$ byEvery coordinate has zero Laplacian. Direct differentiation gives ${\varphi }_u\cdot {\varphi }_v=0$ and $|{\varphi }_u{|}^2=|{\varphi }_v{|}^2=(1+u^2+v^2{)}^2>0$. Thus it is an isothermal immersion and is minimal everywhere.

It is not an open subset of any of the three listed surfaces. The parameter points $(\sqrt{3},0)$ and $(-\sqrt{3},0)$ both map to $(0,0,3)$, but their tangent planes differ: ${\varphi }_u=(-2,0,\pm 2\sqrt{3})$ while ${\varphi }_v=(0,4,0)$. A plane, catenoid, or helicoid is an embedded smooth surface with a unique tangent plane at each point. If our whole image lay in any one of them, both rank-$2$ tangent planes at this point would have to equal its tangent plane, a contradiction.

The induced metric is obtained from the ambient Euclidean metric by the pullback of a Riemannian metric operation. Differentiating $x^2+a^2{\rho }^2=1$ on a branch with $x\ne 0$ gives $dx=-a^2\rho d\rho /x$. Also $d{y}^2+d{z}^2=d{\rho }^2+{\rho }^{2}d{\varphi }^2$. ConsequentlyThe assumption that $(\rho ,\varphi )$ are coordinates already excludes the equator $x=0$ as well as the poles $\rho =0$. On such a chart, $0<\rho <1/|a|$ and $E>0$.

The conformal flattening of a surface of revolution supplies the particularly simple conformal factorSince ${\sigma }^{\prime }>0$, these are isothermal coordinates with a flat rescaled metric. An angular coordinate is understood on a local branch; the flat metric may equally be viewed locally as a cylinder metric. The apparent divergence of $E$ at the equator is a coordinate failure, not a singularity of the induced metric. For example, $(x,\varphi )$ give $g=[1+x^2/(a^2(1-x^2))]d{x}^2+(1-x^2)d{\varphi }^2/a^2$, regular at $x=0$.

The map $\varphi$ is an immersion when $d\varphi$ has rank two, equivalently ${\varphi }_u$ and ${\varphi }_v$ are linearly independent. It is isothermal when its first fundamental form hasIn general the mean curvature isThe surface is minimal when $H=0$. In isothermal coordinates the Laplace-Beltrami operator identity isThus $H=0$ exactly when each coordinate function $x,y,z$ is harmonic.

Forthe isothermal conditions areand harmonicity givesConsequentlyand the isothermal equation reduces toThese are all the solutions for which $f$ never vanishes. When $AB>0$ they parameterize a catenoid, up to translations, reflection and scaling. The limiting cases $AB=0$, $c=0$, with exactly one of $A,B$ nonzero, parameterize a punctured plane.