Non-axially symmetric solutions of a mean field equation on \(\mathbb{S}^2\) (Q2039532)

This paper deals with the equation \[ \Delta_g u+\rho\left(\frac{e^{u}}{\int_{S^2}e^{u}}-\frac{1}{4\pi}\right)=0, \tag{1} \] on sphere \(\mathbb S^{2}\), where \(\Delta_g\) is the Laplace-Beltrami operator on \(\mathbb S^2\) associated to the metric \(g\), inherited from the ambient Euclidean metric.The authors construct blow-up solutions, with blow-up points \(\xi_1,\xi_2,\xi_3,\xi_4\) forming a regular tetrahedron. Let \(\epsilon\in (0,\epsilon_o),\) for some \(\epsilon_o\) small enough, \(\rho=32\pi+\epsilon.\) and \(T_d\) be the group of symmetry of a regular tetrahedron. It is proved that for each \(\epsilon\), there exists a \(\lambda>0\) and a solution \(u_{\lambda}\) to equation (1), such that: \[ \epsilon=(384\pi^2+o(1))\lambda^2 \ln \frac{1}{\lambda} \] and \[ u_{\lambda}(\xi_j)\to\infty,\quad j=1,2,3,4,\quad u_{\lambda}(x)\to-\infty\ \forall x\in\mathbb S^2\backslash \{\xi_1,\xi_2,\xi_3,\xi_4 \}, \] as \(\epsilon\to 0.\) Moreover, \(u_{\lambda}(y)=u_{\lambda}(Ty)\), for all \(T\in T_d\) and any \(y\in\mathbb S^2,\) and \[ \frac{\rho}{\int_{\mathbb S^2}e^{u_{\lambda}}}e^{u_{\lambda}}\to 8\pi\sum_1^4 \delta_{\xi_j}, \] in a sense of measure, as \(\epsilon\to 0\) (Theorem 2.1). It is mentioned, in the abstract, that ``other families of solutions can be similarly constructed with blow-up points at the vertices of equilateral triangles on a great circle or other inscribed solids (cubes, octahedrons, icosahedrons and dodecahedrons).''