Minimizers of convex functionals with small degeneracy set (Q2307741): Difference between revisions

Let \(F:\mathbb R^n\to\mathbb R\) be convex and of class \(C^1\). The paper studies the regularity of Lipschitz minimizers of \[ E(u)=\int_{B_1}F(\nabla u)\,dx \] in \(\mathbb R^n\), i.e. functions \(u\in W^{1, \infty}(B_1)\) satisfying \(E(u+\varphi)\ge E(u)\) for all \(\varphi\in C^1_0(B_1)\). In the extreme case that the graph of \(F\) contains a line segment, minimizers are no better than Lipschitz by simple examples. In the other extreme that \(F\) is smooth and uniformly convex, De Giorgi and Nash proved that Lipschitz minimizers are smooth and solve the Euler-Lagrange equation \(F_{ij}(\nabla u )u_{ij}=0\) classically [\textit{E. De Giorgi}, Mem. Accad. Sci. Torino, P. I., III. Ser. 3, 25--43 (1957; Zbl 0084.31901); \textit{J. F. Nash}, Am. J. Math. 80, 931--954 (1958; Zbl 0096.06902)]. The paper examines the intermediate case where \(F\) is strictly convex, but the eigenvalues of \(D^2F\) go to 0 or \(\infty\) on some set \(D_F\). Such functionals arise naturally in the study of anisotropic surface tensions [\textit{M. G. Delgadino} et al., Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 230, No. 3, 1131--1177 (2018; Zbl 1421.35076)], traffic flow [\textit{M. Colombo} and \textit{A. Figalli}, J. Math. Pures Appl. (9) 101, No. 1, 94--117 (2014; Zbl 1282.35175)], and statistical mechanics [\textit{H. Cohn} et al., J. Am. Math. Soc. 14, No. 2, 297--346 (2001; Zbl 1037.82016); \textit{R. Kenyon} et al., Ann. Math. (2) 163, No. 3, 1019--1056 (2006; Zbl 1154.82007)]. More precisely, the author assumes that there is a compact subset \(D_F\) of \( \mathbb R^n\) such that \[ F\in C^2(\mathbb R^n\setminus D_F),\quad D_F=\mathbb R^n\setminus\left(\cup_k\{k^{-1}I<D^2F<kI\}\right). \] Theorem 2.1 states that if \(D_F\) is finite and is contained in a two-dimensional affine subspace of \(\mathbb R^n\), then \(u\in C^1(B_1)\). Theorem 2.3 shows that in general a Lipschitz minimizer of \(E\) may not be of class \(C^1\), by constructing a singular Lipschitz minimizer in \(\mathbb R^4\). The above leave opens the possibility that Lipschitz minimizers are \(C^1\) in dimension \(n\ge 3\) in the case where \(D_F\) consists of finitely many points: the problem is connected to a result of Alexandrov in the classical differential geometry of convex surfaces and a related counterexample is conjectured (Conjecture 2.4).