Minimax solutions of the Ginzburg-Landau equations (Q1360287)

Let \(\Omega\) be a smooth bounded domain in \({\mathbb{R}}^2\) and consider a smooth map \(g:\partial \Omega\rightarrow S^1\). In their book ``Ginzburg-Landau vortices'' (1994; Zbl 0802.35142)] \textit{F. Bethuel, H. Brezis} and \textit{F. Hélein} studied the behaviour as \(\varepsilon\nearrow 0\) of minimizers \(u_\varepsilon\) of the Ginzburg-Landau functional \(E_\varepsilon (u)=\int_\Omega|\nabla u|^2+(2\varepsilon^2)^{-1} \int_\Omega (1-|u|^2)^2\) with respect to the class of test functions \(H^1_g(\Omega) =\{ u\in H^1(\Omega,{\mathbb{R}}^2);u=g \text{ on } \partial\Omega\}\). Assume that \(d=\text{deg }(g;\partial\Omega)>0\). The main result of the cited monograph is that there exist a sequence \(\varepsilon_n\rightarrow 0\) and exactly \(d\) distinct points \(a_1,\cdots ,a_d\in\Omega\) such that \(u_{\varepsilon_n}\) converges in \(C^{1,\alpha}_{\text{loc}} (\overline\Omega\setminus\{ a_1,\cdots ,a_d\})\) to the canonical harmonic map associated with \((a_1,\cdots ,a_d)\) and corresponding degrees \(+1\). Moreover, the configuration of vortices \((a_1,\cdots ,a_d)\) has the outstanding property that it is a global minimum point of the corresponding renormalized energy. The main goal of this paper is to establish various minimax solutions of the Ginzburg-Landau equation for small values of the parameter \(\varepsilon\). This enables the authors to solve the following open problem raised by Bethuel, Brezis and Hélein: let \(a=(a_1,\cdots ,a_d)\) be a nondegenerate critical point of the renormalized energy. Then there exists a sequence of critical points \(u_{\varepsilon_n}\) of \(E_{\varepsilon_n}\) such that \(\varepsilon_n\rightarrow 0\) and \(u_{\varepsilon_n}\) converges in \(C^{1,\alpha}_{loc}(\overline\Omega\setminus\{ a_1,\cdots ,a_d\})\) to the canonical harmonic map associated with the configuration \(a\) and having all corresponding degrees \(+1\). The paper is remarkably written and gives very fine and powerful methods for the study of the Ginzburg-Landau equation.