On a phase field approximation of the planar Steiner problem: existence, regularity, and asymptotic of minimizers (Q1650258)

The authors investigate a functional that helps approximate the planar Steiner problem, continuing and rounding their recent research on the phase field approximations of relevant problems. The employed functional (that resembles the scalar Ginzburg-Landau functional) is a slight modification of the one considered earlier and allows proving new results on functional existence and regularity of minimizers together with a more exact description of the behavior of the latter in the singular limit as the parameter on which the functional depends tends towards zero. In particular it is proven that sublevel sets Hausdorff converge to optimal Steiner sets, while as applications problems of average distance and optimal compliance are approached via the newly developed method.