Homogenization and concentrated capacity for the heat equation with non-linear variational data in reticular almost disconnected structures and applications to visual transduction (Q2505617)

The authors are concerned with the problem arising in the mathematical theory of phototransduction described by the heat equation for the unknown function \(u_{\varepsilon}\) with non-linear variational data in reticular almost disconnected structure \(\tilde{\Omega}_{\varepsilon}\). First, a rigorous formulation of the homogenized-concentrated limit problem is provided. Then, a uniqueness result for a limit problem is established and the homogenized-concentrated limit is computed by using a novel technique. The principal technical difficulty consists in extending equi-bounded and equi-Hölder continuous functions in \(\varepsilon\)-dependent domains into equi-bounded and equi-Hölder continuous functions in the entire \(\mathbb{R}^{N}.\) This extension is realized by means of Kirzbraun-Pucci theorem valid for functions with concave modulus of continuity. Application to signal transduction in the retina rod cells of vertebrates is discussed.