Structured phase transitions on a finite interval (Q1058404)

Consider a mass M of a compressible van der Waals fluid, i.e. a fluid whose free energy per unit volume E depends on density u and its gradient u' as \(E=W(u)+\epsilon^ 2u'{}^ 2\) and W'(u) has the well-known undulating dependence on u. Consider the fluid contained in a, say, cylindrical vessel of length 2L. Consider density distributions u(x) depending only on the axial variable x and respecting the constraint of conservation of mass. Then among these distributions there are only two (specular) minimizers of the total free energy and they are monotonic (single-interface solutions), provided that the average density M/2L is contained within the Maxwell interval and \(\epsilon\) is sufficiently small. The proof of this theorem of uniqueness (modulo reversals) is difficult and long (it extends well over 20 pages); it is achieved by transforming the associated Euler problem (with constraint) into a set of two integral equations, the study of which is delicate because of singularities present. The result is an important contribution to the study of phase transitions within a finite domain.